


Primavera

by orphan_account



Category: Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins Movies), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types, Hannibal Lecter Tetralogy - Thomas Harris
Genre: Buenos Aires, F/M, Farewell & thanks from the author at end of Chapter 14 in comments section., Murder, Recollections of Balthus Lecter, Recollections of Il Mostro, Recollections of Lady Murasaki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:33:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 37,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29355012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The year is now 2005 and this story follows on from a previous story called Judith.After living together for eight years now in Buenos Aires an opportunity arises for both the Doctor and Clarice to deal with unfinished business as they see it which in turn leads to a lot of unanswered questions finally being dealt with for all or most of the characters involvedI also would like to thank David Lynch for creating the fantastic Twin Peaks, I borrowed a line about the Owls from this series and also have on loan for this story Agent Chester Desmond again from Twin Peaks, thanks Dave!
Relationships: Hannibal Lecter/Clarice Starling
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

BUENOS AIRES JUNE 2005

This evening we find our couple attending a black tie gala dinner at the Centro Cultural Kirchner, a vast beaux-arts building housing multiple art galleries and event spaces in the Belgrano district of Buenos Aires.

This event is happening in the Ballena Azul section of the building, a vast concert hall with world class acoustics to celebrate this place becoming the new home of the Argentine National Symphony Orchestra.

Tonight the seats in the hall have been removed and replaced with dining tables and space created closer to the stage for dancing later on.

Doctor Lecter and Clarice or Senor and Senora Novak as they are known amongst their friends have been invited along this evening with other friends and patrons of the orchestra who form part of the fundraising and charitable arm of the Orchestras upkeep.

Local businesses, the Press, celebrities from the world of Theatre & the arts, prominent Government Officials are also present along with anyone else who could afford the 26,102 Pesos ($300) per ticket the fundraising event also commanded.

Clarice had chosen a floor length over one shoulder only sleeveless silk evening dress in Navy blue with a split from her ankle to the thigh on one side to make movement easier in such a figure hugging garment.

She accessorized with a matching clutch bag and a diamond jewellery set the Doctor had bought her from Cartier for her fortieth birthday in December which consisted of a choker, teardrop earrings and matching bracelet.

As usual when they entered the room heads turned and as soon as the Symphony Director and other organizers of the event had welcomed them they were quickly ushered in and furnished with glasses of champagne and offered various canapés by the eager hostess team busily attending to the 300 strong crowd before the call would be made to sit for dinner later on.

Just as Clarice took a bite of her smoked salmon and caviar canapé the usual shrill voice of Catalina Gomez filled her ears. 

Ivan, Kim how wonderful to see you both she squealed seizing them both and kissing them both on each cheek with far too much enthusiasm for Doctor Lecter than Clarice had ever been happy with.

You will never guess what I have managed to do she squeaked linking her arm into the Doctors, before either could ask she carried on regardless.

I noticed this morning when we came in for rehearsals the seating plan for tonight was laid out, so I checked it to see where we would be in the room and who else was with us on our table.

Well it turned out that in some awful administrative mix up they had placed us on separate tables. I complained and they soon remedied that, we were a good ten tables apart before I stepped in you will be glad to hear but we are all together now she said obviously feeling very pleased with herself as she gazed in awe at the Doctors face waiting for a pat on the head from him and a well done as she always did or so Clarice scornfully thought.

Catalina Gomez was the new darling of the symphony and had been with the Orchestra now for nearly a year as lead violinist.

She was on a par with Vanessa Mae and the like, the only other thing that set Catalina apart was that like the high pitch of her instrument when played badly she had a voice to match, squeaky, annoying and strained.

She been playing the Violin since she could crawl and had been spotted as a child on a tv talent show and quickly became the nations darling which lead to a recording contract and concerts, she had formulated a lucrative career from it when younger.  
She also over the years had drawn men to her like a magnate, them all hanging off her every word. She was talented attractive and knew it.

However she had never found one she wanted to seriously commit to until now, never found one totally on her wavelength where talent and intellect were concerned or a substantial enough amount of money to keep up to her spending habits in their own right.

Now though she did have someone on her horizon. This affluent attractive older man on her arm right now, Senor Ivan Novak and she was determined by fair means or foul to have him.

No, was not a word Catalina was used to either. She believed she could have what ever she wanted whenever she wanted. She had never married and was by now in her late forties and likened herself to the younger version of Elizabeth Taylor in appearance. 

No one else did, she continued to boast about it at any opportunity she got insisting that she must be right as no one had ever said she was wrong about it.

In truth it was just her and her ego talking, as for no one disagreeing with her it was probably more a case of no one else was able to get a word in thought Clarice when Catalina had announced this likeness to Liz Taylor back stage at the last show they watched with the symphony.

When Clarice in an attempt to get along better and actually get to know her had asked why she had never considered marriage she was simply told that a husband would just get in the way and that was that. 

In the way of what was never elaborated upon.

Another thing that had really got Clarice’s back up were the endless invitations in the last few months to Catalina’s house for various social occasions. 

Often when hosting she would play her Stradivarius for entertainment while the Doctor played along with her on her Baby Grand Piano, something they often did together when they visited her for lunch or dinner with other members of the Orchestra Catalina got along with.

Suddenly on one occasion months ago Catalina reminded everyone that as it was the 4th of July she thought she would honour Clarice’s southern roots with a rendition of “Dixie” on her violin which Catalina and the others found most hilarious.

Everyone except Clarice.

It reminded her of a movie she had seen years ago called the Prince Of Tides where Nick Nolte is insulted by Barbra Streislands husband doing exactly what she just did, playing that song at a party on a violin in order to humiliate him. 

Clarice remained silent and sipped her drink, something that did not happen in the movie.

How she wished she could have humiliated her in return like Nolte did in the movie to the husband. Now that would have been a sight to laugh at as she dangled her Violin over the terraced roof railings threatening to drop it until the cocksucker apologized like Nolte did.

She was trying very hard at every opportunity she got to belittle Clarice and look amusing to the Doctor. It annoyed Clarice even more on that occasion that she seemed to be the only one who could see it despite complaining to him about it after they had returned home.

Catalina was desperate for an invite to their house but Clarice had in that respect put her foot down firmly and refused to even speak about it. That woman had never entered her home and never would, not while she was about anyway.

All the Doctor could see at first was Catalina’s gift, and to a degree her looks. He had always enjoyed the social company of good looking women just like he could admire an old renaissance masters painting, pleasing to look at but would never dream of touching.

Infact although he had not mentioned it to Clarice yet, he himself was beginning to find Catalina quite a predictable bore. She was talented, attractive and fun to a degree but when you scratched the surface and actually engaged her in debate about various issues there was very little evidence of intelligent substance there at all in his opinion, her general knowledge very poor.

He did still love hearing her play be it at her home or watching her on stage, especially when she did her solos and he was always full of praise after her performance which she basked in at any opportunity she could get.

Then there was the touching. The Doctor always held Clarice’s hand or walked out and about with his arm around her waist but was usually a reserved man where personal contact with others was concerned, he did not like touching other people socially and would generally avoid it wherever possible.

Yet with this woman he had seemed to turn a blind eye where she was concerned, she would always link her arm in his and he would reciprocate often holding his arm up when he saw her coming to welcome her in, the woman reminded Clarice of a bloody limpet mine.

Again when Clarice challenged him he would not have it and once even said that jealousy was not becoming of her and she should try and be a little more welcoming to Catalina than she had been.

That stung, that had really stung.

In the last month Clarice had been terribly unwell, she had picked up salmonella food poisoning they suspected from eating some raw cake mixture while the Doctor was trying his hand at some baking. No one had ever really identified if this was the cause for sure but she had ended up in hospital for two days shortly after treated for severe dehydration as she simply could keep nothing down, not even a cup of water.

Her Doctor at the hospital assured her she would be better within seven days but it just seemed to go on and on, she had several days when she felt better and believed she was over it then days where she was bed bound again unable to eat and sick. 

She was better this week than she had been in a good while, she had felt well for five days in a row and had her appetite back. They both hoped she was at last turning the corner to being well again permanently, tonight was her first social event in a over month. 

She was however still subcontracting her photography work as it came in though as she still tired easily and was suffering at times from stomach cramps even now.

The medical professionals had assured her this was due to abdominal muscle strain from continual vomiting and it would eventually settle back down.

She was advised not to do strenuous exercise for a time while she recuperated so she did just that, staying in reading, watching tv, taking it easy which she found hard as she was used to being busy but she did realize in order to get better she needed to do as she was told.

So many things had been on hold but were returning to normal now thankfully. She had enjoyed getting ready to come out tonight and looked forward to later when they would make love, that had certainly picked up again in the last fortnight and she was glad. As awful as she had felt she had missed their intimacy and so had he.

After more social networking directed by Catalina as she lead the Doctor around the room with Clarice following the call was made over the PA system for the guests to take their seats for the five course dinner which had been lovingly constructed and prepared by Santiago Vigliano, a famous Argentine chef whose restaurant had recently been blessed with its second Michelin star. 

Catalina announced that although there was a six month waiting list for a table at his restaurant she felt sure he could squeeze her and the rest of them in next week if she asked nicely when he appeared later to greet the guests and take the kudos for his cooking.

This came as no surprise to Clarice as it was well known that before Chef Vigliano had married he was heavily rumoured to have been one of Catalina’s many conquests before she had moved onto someone else.

We shall see thought Clarice whilst she squeezed her napkin out of its ring holder briefly fantasizing about her hand being around Catalina’s neck.

After telling everyone again as she had been all evening so far that after the meal and speeches she and the rest of the Symphony would be going on stage to first play The Blue Danube, then again reminded them all of how she would be playing the violin solo for the first part of the love theme from Romeo & Juliet. After that the rest of the orchestra would join her in the climax of the piece and the music would then continue for the rest of the evening.

Clarice actually welcomed the news because it meant that for a good hour and a half after the meal they would not only have some wonderful music to listen and dance to but they would be rid of Catalina while she was on stuck on stage with the rest of the orchestra.

Everyone as usual told her wonderful it was, how talented she was as the first course arrived. A roasted Artichoke presented as a beautiful flower on the plate which everyone commented on, then thankfully the conversation moved on.

They were on a table with eight others, some Clarice and the Doctor knew as regular patrons of the Symphony like themselves, others they were not familiar with. It was evenly spread out with customary boy, girl formation around the circular table and Clarice was actually enjoying chatting to a young man seated next to her who worked as a professional musical tutor & operatic voice coach.

She was avidly discussing how her own piano lessons were coming on under the Doctors instruction at home before Catalina in her usual rude way butted into the conversation.

Ivan has just reminded me Kim that you are away in America next week. I have to say with you being ill and all, well I am quite shocked you are even considering it. if I were your husband I would be worried sick she said in the most fake concerned voice she could muster.

I am much better now thank you and even if I were not well there is no way I would miss my best friend and business partners wedding Clarice said tartly before attempting to turn back to the conversation she had been engaged in with the music tutor.

Catalina however was having none of it

And why is Ivan not going with you until later in the week, poor little lamb left at home all by himself. Well don’t you worry Kim I shall make sure he is not lonely, I shall make a point of calling by to see he is alright so don’t you worry she squeaked taking and squeezing his hand and he squeezed hers back with a smile.

That would be most kind Catalina but quite unnecessary he countered on seeing the annoyance in Clarice’s eyes.

Yes quite unnecessary, I can assure you he will manage quite well for a few days on his own wont you dear retorted Clarice with a look that could have killed the pair of them on the spot.

Still Catalina pressed on talking right over the top of another guest who had started to speak and ended up quietly dabbing his mouth with his napkin and said nothing else really for the rest of the evening.

So Kim, this wedding , its such a shame you having to go on your own….

Before Catalina could say anything else the Doctor at last cut in to save the situation as he did not trust Clarice with the way she was holding her glass of Pinot Grigio not to suddenly drown Catalina in it face first.

Clarice had a lot of patience and tended to rise above such petty point scoring but even he could see her temper wearing thin.

I am afraid that the fault of Clarice having to go to the wedding alone is entirely my fault, began the Doctor. I have had a prior engagement for some time with a dear friend of mine from the Argentine Astrological Society, Professor Moreno.

I don’t know if you have heard of it in the news yet, we are trying to keep it quiet but we have an extremely distinguished guest from the world of Physics visiting us next week. It has been a lifelong ambition of mine to meet this fellow as well as my colleagues, everyone is most excited, myself included.

Various people at the table asked who the mystery guest was and the Doctor said in a proud but hushed tone, 

I can hopefully speak in confidence to you all in this matter but the special guest we are welcoming is a long term personal friend of Professor Moreno and is none other than Professor Stephen Hawking.

He hardly ever travels these days due to his health but he is doing a few appearances in south America over the next month and is staying with my friend Professor Moreno as a personal guest at his home here in Buenos Aires.

Gasps erupted around the table at the coup of such a guest. Clarice took a large mouthful of her wine and smiled with satisfaction that the Doctors admission about the visit by Hawking had just pissed all over Catalina’s news of her violin solo after dinner, plus the added joy that she clearly knew nothing about it when Clarice had known for the last three months.

Beat that bitch she laughed to herself as the waiting staff cleared the first course and made way for the second.

The dates, continued the Doctor just clashed and it is so unfortunate, Kim’s friend Amparo is a lovely woman and I am sure she will make a lovely bride.

With this the Doctor raised his glass in a toast to the bride to be and the Matron Of Honor who was to be Clarice

To you both, hoping you have a wonderful day and a safe journey darling- cheers

Everyone raised and clinked there glasses. The Doctor gave Clarice a wink which she returned with a broad smile while Catalina secretly fumed at the attention being stolen from her and him for not confiding in her about Hawking.

Once everyone had begun chatting amongst themselves again waiting staff served the second course of Arugula, Pear & Asiago cheese salad in Martini style glasses. 

The music tutor sitting next to Clarice whose name turned out to be Juan Da Silva further enquired about the wedding and to satisfy his own curiosity about it being held in America instead of here in Argentina.

Well said Clarice, Amparo is my business partner, we both run a freelance Photography company here in Buenos Aires, Ki-Am Photography. I met her a few years ago at Nente Art Institute where we were both training to be professional photographers.

Amparo comes from Chile but missed Buenos Aires so much she decided to get her Visa and live here permanently. 

At first before coming on board with me she got a lot of freelance work for a magazine called Lone Planet.

Ahh yes said Juan, I have heard of that, very good read if you are a traveler.

It is a great magazine for that sort of thing agreed Clarice taking a sip of her wine. While she was working for them she met one of their journalists who she was providing the photography for to compliment his article he was writing here in the city and they just hit it off. He lives in a place called the Florida Keys has done since he was a child and she has agreed to move there with him as that is where he is based so it kind of made sense to get married there as well. 

I see said Juan, where does this leave your business though, with your partner in another country??

Well, things on paper will stay the same, her line of photography and mine are quite different we just helped each other out really. We promoted each other to our clients as an additional service, there was never huge sums of money involved or investment nothing like that.

I will just carry on as always working alone, if I need a good natural world photographer for any work I am doing that’s where I shall have to shop around now, you see that’s what she specializes in the natural world stuff. I do more architectural photography.

And what have you done so far? he asked genuinely interested.

Well I have done shots for Tourism Argentina, they do all the brochures and leaflets for the tourist kiosks and I have also done pictures for Teatro Colons website. There are quite a few others, to many to mention really but those are my big contracts that I have Clarice said with pride, a lot of my work is online and on my website Ki-Am.Com

That’s great, really great said Juan, well done you. I shall take a look later.

The evening moved swiftly on and Juan told her more about his work and some of the clients he has taught and works with. He really was the easiest guy to talk to Clarice had met in a long while and she was quite absorbed in him as the waiting staff served the rest of the meal.

Next was a watermelon Sorbet as the third course, followed by the main entrée Baked Salmon with cucumber and julienne Snow Peas and Carrots.

The final course was Bavarian Whipped Cream Cake followed by coffee and handcrafted chocolates and mint creams as speakers on behalf of the Symphony and other special guests spoke about the wonderful evening and future plans for the orchestra.

After the customary round of applause the last guest on stage was Chef Vigliano himself who insisted on his whole kitchen team coming out to a raucous applause once more from the crowd.

As the MC reappeared and was introducing the next part of the evenings entertainment suddenly unable to wait any longer Catalina shouted out, time for the party to really start as she rose from her chair along with other Symphony Orchestra members across the room to make there way onto the stage to take their places and provide the rest of the evenings entertainment. 

Break a leg Catalina, called out Clarice with a sly smile. The Doctor looked across at her annoyed at her calling out like that, Catalina turned briefly and glared whilst Juan simply looked away and laughed.

As the opening bars to the Blue Danube filled the room and the lights went down many now rose with their partners to make there way to the front of the hall for the customary Viennese Waltz.

Juan stood and offered his hand to Kim with a polite, may I have this dance ?

Just as Clarice went to take his hand she had it taken from behind her by the Doctor who just as politely said

Please excuse me butting in but I have not had the pleasure of my wife all evening. I must insist you come with me on this one darling.

Juan bowed his head to the Doctor in deference and sat back down as the Doctor lead Clarice away through the crowd to the dance floor.

What was that all about asked Clarice trying to hide her annoyance as they waited for their opportunity to join in with the other couples moving around the floor in time to the music.

You have been engaged with him all evening, since the second course to be precise said the Doctor angrily in her ear. You may not have had enough of him hanging off your every word but I certainly have, I had no choice but to step in.

Clarice had to laugh at this and remembered a while back what he had said to her when he felt she was simply jealous of Catalina and should stop complaining.

As they saw their opening to join the floor and whirled around to the music she whispered in his ear with a smile on her face, my dear …….Jealousy really does not become you, maybe you should be a little more welcoming towards him.

The Doctor laughed now too as he remembered his own words, touché darling he whispered back, I’m sorry.

Jealously was petty and shallow to him normally and should not exist between a couple who trust one another as they did. Even he was not sure what had come over him either but he made sure she had his full attention for the rest of the evening just to make sure the ole green eyed monster did not reappear again and to keep her away from the ever watchful eyes of her new admirer Juan.

It could also have something to do with the fact that when Catalina made sure she was on his table tonight she had also swapped her named place setting card with Clarices so she could sit next to him instead and all he could do all evening was watch from across the table as another younger man entertained his wife for nearly two hours with endless smiles and flowing conversation that she appeared to be most engrossed in to the point she never gave him a second look.

He did not like that, he was not used to that from her and he did not like that at all either. 

Catalina had wittered on about this and that not even realising he had stopped listening. All of his attention had moved to his wife and neither women had even noticed.

Later back at home as the Doctor prepared them a night cap, Clarice sat in their dressing room and removed her jewellery repacking the pieces carefully in their velvet boxes before placing them inside a safe hidden at the back of her closet where they kept all there jewellery, passports and other personal items of value to them.

She then undressed and wrapped herself in a comfy oversized black silk robe before tipping out her clutch bag onto her vanity table to put her make up away that she carried with her when out at a function. Tissue, lipstick, small powder compact and then mysteriously a business card fell out that had been placed there by Juan when she had left the bag unattended on the table while dancing and being dominated in conversation for the rest of the evening by her husband. 

On the back of the card it simply said, I would love to get to know you better, call me, J x

Normally she would have thrown the card away but the Doctors reaction tonight at her talking to Juan had annoyed her and even though he had apologised he still had no right to behave like he did in front of Juan, certainly when she thought of how he behaves with Catalina all of the time.

With that she took the card placed it back in the clutch bag and put it in a drawer with all her other small bags so the Doctor would not find it. If he could have his friends even rude ones like Catalina, well so could she.

Just as she did that he appeared with two brandies and said shall we take these to bed then or stay up?

No let’s go to bed with them she said. She knew full well they had further making up to do and so did he. They had both annoyed each other this evening at various points and they always made a point of never going to bed on a row or ill feeling.

I am sure once we have had those we can find something to occupy our time she said with a smile removing her robe standing before him naked and taking a small cream neglige from one of her drawers and slipping it on over her head.

That’s a good choice observed the Doctor with a smirk on his lips looking at the neglige, very pretty but I don’t think you will be wearing it for long and hand in hand off they went.


	2. Chapter 2

The invitation to Amparo’s wedding was something both of them had looked forward to when she announced to Clarice and the Doctor that she and her American travel and tourism journalist boyfriend Joe were engaged and soon to be tying the knot in her new home Florida.

The event was not some beach wedding with every ones shoes full of sand and glasses of warm Prosecco slowly baking away in the midday sun but a more intimate, midweek event with no more than 100 guests comprising of immediate family and only the closest long term friends at a place called The Cherry Tree Estate in Sorrento which lay on the outskirts of Orlando.

It was a very elegant rustic cottage/farmhouse style venue with picturesque flora, grounds and an outdoor marquee for the meal, very private and very exclusive.

The wedding would take place at sunset so would not be an all day event either which Clarice was glad about in case she was not feeling well again, she was Matron Of Honor so had an important role and was keen to do her best.

She was also looking forward along with Amparo to seeing John Bould again with his new partner Art who he had met backpacking around India. Thanks to email it was easier to keep in touch than it was before and they were flying into Miami on Sunday to have a few days before the wedding to sightsee and enjoy what Florida had to offer before jetting off to India again which was his current place of residence.

It would also be nice to visit America again. They had not left Argentina since there arrival here in 1998, although their documents were pristine technology was still ever improving and both of them felt safer staying where they were initially. Scrutiny from Passport Control was a risk every time he had travelled in the past for him as well as Clarice now that she was under her new identity so after fleeing America here was where they had stayed.

Since 9/11 however he had dropped rapidly from the most wanted top 10 FBI mugshots and languished somewhere in the mid thirties last time he had bothered to look.

This certainly eased there worries about travelling and both felt it was time to throw caution to the wind and venture abroad again, well to Florida just for now. 

The Doctor himself at 65 years old was a true silver fox by now, his hair an even pale shade of grey rather than the familiar black of his mugshot.  
He still did not look his age due to cosmetic surgery and could easily pass for a man ten years younger. His blue contacts certainly helped yet if you looked closely at his mugshot and hard enough at him you would soon tell, that was a risk that would always follow him.

The Doctor, never one to miss an opportunity also informed Clarice that Daytona Florida was where he had a last known address for Will Graham and made it clear to her whilst there he was going to honor a letter he had sent to Will back in 1997 and pay him a long overdue visit to go over some unfinished business as he put it.

You mean to kill him then, Clarice added, why and how?

What do you mean why and how? he had said looking at her incredulously over the top of his reading glasses as they had breakfast one morning.

Will Graham is a drunk, did you not once say how much satisfaction you got from knowing he had lost everything like you did for a time. The guy sounded to me like he was in a living hell from what Jack Crawford had said when I asked about him, is he really worth our time?

The thing of it is this Clarice, I said I would call on him and I always keep my word. A few years late I will grant you that but better late then never, he smiled buttering a croissant.

If you must Clarice said wearily, besides we have the other little problem to deal with whilst there, well I do.

Yes you do my dear he agreed, you need to shut Ardelia Mapp up and her new best friend and I need to do my civic duty where Graham is concerned.

He poured them both a coffee from the cafetière and continued a smirk on his face now as he pictured Will’s life and what he was up to.

He more than likely can’t work, is taking cheques from the welfare system and is just a drain on society. In a way I am doing the American public a service by getting rid of him, one less drunk to keep that’s the way I look at it. 

No doubt he visits some pencil licker therapist in between propping up various bars he frequents who he pours his heart out to with his self indulgent rubbish about how hard done to he has been, what a burden his “gift” has been, well I shall deliver him a gift he won’t forget in a hurry I can assure you of that.

And I shall so enjoy it he mused, as for how I will do it I have not decided yet but I will let you know when I have settled on something, maybe I shall purchase a sharper linoleum knife this time.

I see said Clarice, resignedly, your mind is made up then, please just be careful.

She knew it was pointless to argue with him when he was this determined. Who was Will Graham to her anyway, she had never even met the guy and if it gave him some closure so be it.

Clarice did offer to sound out the address in Daytona and check if Will was still there, if he was still living there she could check the place out as to whether the murder would be best carried out there or elsewhere.

The Doctor agreed this was a good time saving plan and made sure Clarice had the address and opportunity to look on google maps as to where she would park up so the car would not be seen and concoct a story as to why she was looking for Will when she called at the house to do her fact finding. Clarice had decided to identify herself to Will as Clarice Starling and use Jack Crawford's death as her reason for looking him up. She would say she promised Jack before he passed to look him up and tell him he wished him well but due to personal problems of her own which resulted in her too quitting the job it was only now that she had felt able to face it.

She also hoped Graham would be drunk or hung over enough to buy it.

We just need to work in a schedule that’s all said Clarice, we have seven days, two of those will be spent travelling. Then I need to put a day aside to fly to Baltimore to see Ardelia, its not going to be easy seeing her again. I shall start by appealing to her common sense and our friendship we once had and seeing me in person, hopefully that will do the trick.

Shall I come with you on that one with you? asked the Doctor sipping his coffee

No keep out of it, seeing you will only inflame the situation. I have to do this on my own, you do Graham while I am away that way we shall have a day or two over to do some sightseeing and shopping.

I am doing Graham alone am I he said with surprise, and I was hoping you would take his picture when I was done with him, you know I like pictures to look at.

Will Graham is your baby darling not mine although I can lend you my camera and tripod if you like laughed Clarice helping herself to some toast.

Whilst playing around on the FBI website admiring his old likeness the Doctor had also a taken to seeing exactly just what others in world were saying about them and often would simply type there old names in the search engine and see what came up.

For himself there was page after page of it, for Clarice Starling virtually nothing except her name referenced to the Serial killer Buffalo Bill and of course the fish market massacre. A few lines about her being a missing person on the Arlington Police website under their missing persons category, all of it just text no pictures of her.

This was just how they both liked it until a few months ago when he found a new website set up by Ardelia and a controversial film maker simply known as Flux who specialised in documentaries exposing corruption in authority all over the world.

Thanks to him Ardelia was now after all this time again searching for any information about Clarice despite the note and ring asking her to leave everything well alone.

It gave details on this website of the content of a documentary he was hoping to make regarding the whole Verger incident.

He wanted to expose everything regarding Verger, from the accusations of having FBI officials and local police in his pocket for money. Why were the charges of child abuse against him suddenly dropped, his links to terrorists and what happened in the weeks leading up to his death that night at the Verger farm along with several others, some never identified.

The documentary would also throw up questions about an FBI cover up. Evidence now suddenly had come to light that missing Agent Clarice Starling had been there the night of the Murders yet at the time Margot Verger and the Authorities strongly denied this.

The synopsis of this Documentary also stated that despite several attempts for a statement from the remaining Verger family they had declined to offer any information and were in the process of trying to block the documentary even being made through legal action.

At first Ardelia too had been reluctant to even speak to Flux turning him away several times from her home. She herself had moved on and was content to simply know Clarice was out there somewhere and happy.  
Eventually though out of curiosity when he shouted through her letterbox that he had new information about Starling did she then let him in and listen to what he had to say.

He started by explaining that he had located Starlings mother and spoken with her to try and gather if she may know what had happened to Clarice. If she had heard anything from her over the years but discovered she had no real interest about her daughter at all.

Not meaning any disrespect Miss Mapp but I got the impression the woman’s not all there, he said hoping Ardelia might elaborate. It seemed odd to him a mother would not have concern for the whereabouts of their own child.

It was pretty difficult with her, he went on. All she wanted to talk about was herself and made some bizarre claim about someone robbing her husband’s grave, she seems to believe someone has moved his remains without her consent, that’s all she kept on about.

Well that whole situation is a sad story, began Ardelia.  
When Starlings father passed away she struggled on to keep the family together and failed due to mental illness caused by her grief and toll of four children to keep on her own. What you have said does not exactly surprise me, as for a grave being robbed I don’t know anything about that, Clarice only ever said said her father was buried in Texas in a family plot and that was about it.

As for her kids, Clarice and her siblings were taken from her until she sorted herself out and basically she never did.

Starling did try to reconnect with her while we were in training but she just felt the relationship had irretrievably broken down. She just kept talking of the past and how terrible everything had been for her, no one else seemed to matter so Starling said at the time, I believe they never spoke again.

You said Starling had three other siblings, did she have any contact with them that you know of? I thought she was an only child.

No, she has a younger sister and brothers. No contact there either that I am aware of said Ardelia with a furrowed brow, they got displaced all over the country as far as I know to various family members and that was that. As far as I know Starling had contact with none of her family at all.

I see, said Flux writing this new information down on a notepad. Well I discovered in my research that she lived with you here in Arlington and had known you since the Academy so in the absence of anyone else Miss Mapp here I am.

There is quite a bit i have to tell you so let me start from the top.

A person working within the FBI contacted me about covered up corruption that had been going on at the time and claimed he had proof that while alive Mason Verger had people in the FBI on his payroll and they had the evidence to back it up.  
That was when the rest of the information about Starling came out as well.

My Informant spoke of a smear campaign put in motion to wreck Starlings career by Verger to stop her apprehending Lecter before he did and prominent figures in the Justice Department aiding and abetting him. He also touched on the still unsolved disappearance of Paul Krendler and his high level of involvement in the corruption and the smear campaign against her.

My informant had also said Starling had accused Krendler of this at the time of her suspension hearing in front of her superiors but no one would take her seriously.

Ardelia did agree that she had had the same discussion with her and that Starling had believed Verger and Krendler were out to get her.

Due to bank transfer statements the film maker had seen again passed to him by his informant it proved beyond any doubt that Krendler had been on the Verger payroll. No doubt to help Verger apprehend Lecter and one they hoped Starling could verify, if she was still alive.

He also claimed there was enough evidence here to strongly argue that Doctor Lecter was in fact dead, killed that night by Vergers henchmen and in his opinion although he did not want to upset Ardelia he believed Starling could be dead too.

Ardelia disagreed with this vehemently and did remind him about Lecter’s phone call admitting his involvement in Vergers death some four days later and the fact this was authenticated by voice print recognition.

She also had kept Starlings note with the ring and showed these to him making it clear she had never told a soul about there existence and was only doing so now to prove to him Starling was alive and well.

According to Starlings note she is just fine and dandy, here read it yourself she said leaning across the kitchen table and placing it in front of him.

She had kept the note and placed it in a clear food storage bag along with the ring which she had only ever worn once and he looked at the items carefully through the cellophane while Ardelia brewed some tea.

I know Lecter apparently made a call about his involvement in Vergers demise and you believe Starling wrote this letter but how do you know she wrote it or if he himself made that call? Asked Flux.

Ardelia poured the hot water over the tea leaves and reached into the fridge for some milk. Because the FBI said he made the call they proved it was him and the letter is in Starlings hand, I would know it anywhere.

Well said Flux, have you ever considered that is what they want you to believe?

Ardelia noisily stirred the the milk into the mugs of tea with a spoon and banged them down on the kitchen table while Flux carried on making his case.

Next he opened an artists style carry case and produced several enlarged evidence photographs and copies of reports and laid them out on the table. Ardelia had never seen any of this stuff before and leaned forward putting her glasses on to examine them closer.

He showed Ardelia a picture taken of Brighams gun laying on the barn floor and finger print evidence of Starlings on Brighams gun that suddenly had disappeared from the scene. There was also a picture of a catheter and needle on the barn floor and a rope found cut up and discarded on the floor too.

He also showed her a copy of a forensic report confirming that the blood and DNA skin cells found on these items matched Lecters blood and tissue type.

He also showed her another picture taken for evidence of a ladies padded jacket, partially covered in mud from where it had been found thrown under trees onto long wet grass on a fire access road about 100 yards from the barn which she could see in the background of the shot.

Ardelia immediately recognised it as Clarice’s jacket.

I have to say said Ardelia in a quiet tone picking up the picture of the jacket, the jacket here it was Starlings, I would recognise it anywhere.

Flux could see she was taking him seriously now and pressed on with further information.

All of these pieces of evidence once tested, the reports and the jacket mysteriously went missing shortly afterward until his informant found the pictures and reports again, made copies and passed them onto him.

There was the hair and scalp DNA evidence of Lecters too that everyone knew about left in Masons hand so he had definitely been there no doubt about that, but the needle, blood and rope with his DNA on it suggested foul play. He was definitely there yet had never been seen since and neither had Starling.

Why was her jacket on the floor like that, had she tried to get away and been apprehended? If so by who?

Why had she even been there in the first place when she knew Verger was accusing her of harassment and had been warned to have no contact with him or go to the Farm. That very afternoon she had accused Verger to the police and the FBI of kidnapping Lecter but neither had seemed to take her seriously. Had she tried and failed to take matters into her own hands?

It had also not gone unnoticed that the way Verger was killed was not in the Doctors style. The film maker was convinced that the murder was not his work along with a few others in the FBI who had simply preferred to turn a blind eye than get involved in what was a big enough mess as it was so his informant told him.

I am uncovering corruption going right to the top of the justice department here, and other departments of the FBI. To forge someone’s handwriting is not impossible and send it on redirectional mail all over the place to feign its authenticity, make it look that it was sent from abroad, it is not beyond there capabilities and you know it.

Besides what took a year for her to contact you? That in itself is weird.  
When you look at this note critically, the scant content, it tells you nothing except what you would want to hear. There is nothing personal from Starling in this at all, it’s a note any old Joe could have sent.

Paul Krendler announced that voice print recognition verified the voice was Lecter yet no evidence of this is written anywhere, nothing documented, and surprise surprise we can’t ask Krendler because he is missing, how convenient.

I shall tell you what I think shall I, why you got this little note here he said looking Ardelia straight in the eye.

I am guessing they were fed up of you asking questions, rocking their boat because I guess you did didn’t you?

Oh yeah, you bet I did, I never stopped asking, talking to people agreed Ardelia taking a large gulp of her tea. I only stopped when I got her letter…..she trailed off

There you go then, said Flux triumphantly. What better way to shut you up than a letter telling you to stop doing exactly what you had been doing and further buy your silence with some ring. Making you believe she was not only safe but financially secure, throwing her cash around on fancy jewellery, does that sound like the sort of thing she would normally have done?  
I bet you would find that’s not even a real emerald if we had it checked he said trying to hold it up to the light through the wrapping as though it may yield an answer.

Ardelia still had said very little, and no Starling had never had a thing for fancy jewellery. It was in that sense an unusual gift and she had fleetingly thought so at the time.

Yet she had been told in no uncertain terms Starling had not been at the barn that night. She had even approached Margot Verger personally in the first few weeks after her disappearance who herself said it was highly unlikely she had been there. She had not seen a woman that night or a car matching the Mustangs description.

Ardelia also had no idea Brighams gun with her prints on was found at the scene either. She looked at the picture Flux had of Brighams pistol taken in the barn laying on the floor and the other picture of the prints they lifted off it, Clarices prints. Again she looked at the picture of her jacket laying in the mud, suddenly she felt angry and sick.

Tears prickled at her eyes as she looked at the images. Are you sure she finally said never taking her eyes off them.

Am I sure that these pictures are genuine, Flux said with steel determination in his voice. Hell yes you bet they are, Starling was there that night no doubt about it.

Holy shit, said Ardelia the tears now silently falling down her cheeks……..look this is too much right now, give me time to think about it all okay she said wiping her face with her sleeves.

Ardelia was now working as a solicitor for a firm in the City of Washington and had no ties or loyalty to the FBI anymore so was at last free to pursue this without any threat from them about breaking confidentiality and the rest of their half arsed contract of employment as she called it.

Later that evening after much crying and guilt at giving up so easily, being so eager to believe that note and shouting abuse into her pillow Ardelia took the scrap of paper he had left with his number on and picked up the phone.

Flux, it’s Mapp, just let me talk okay. Firstly I don’t give a rats ass about Lecter or Verger or the FBI, I just want to know what happened to Starling. 

The line remained quiet while he let her talk

I think you are right about a lot of things, the corruption, the cover up about her being there that night – everything I have believed for eight years has just gone out of the window today. She could have died that night, her body dumped in some unmarked grave and yes the letter could be a forgery. I’m onboard with you, just tell me what do you want me to do.

Oh and Flux, one more thing as we are working together now, no more of this Miss Mapp shit alright, just call me Ardelia.

There were questions the pair of them wanted answered and it was clear they would not stop until they got them.

It was agreed that Ardelia would come onto the website with him and make a public statement supporting his documentary and to get Starlings picture and story on the web, to urge her to contact them or in the worst case scenario find out what had become of her and whether she was infact dead. 

Maybe someone now after all this time might see the documentary or read the website article and have their conscience pricked into revealing something they had previously decided not to. People’s loyalties change over the years and maybe someone now was ready to speak, to unburden themselves about the events of that night eight years ago.

Ardelia had provided two photographs, one of Clarice on her FBI graduation day and one of them on a weekend away to New York in 96, both pictures had the same message underneath in large letters – HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN ?  
Ardelia’s Mobile telephone number to ring underneath & email address.  
She also placed a small piece about herself and her relationship with Clarice and stated she was still living in Arlington.

Several Emails regarding suspected sightings came in quickly, all in America, some even claimed to be Starling, all turned out to be attention seekers and time wasters.

Little did Flux & Ardelia realise just how soon all of their questions would be answered once and for all.


	3. Chapter 3

Clarice landed at Orlando International Airport after the thankfully uneventful ten hour flight and went through customs without a hitch and looked forward to collecting her baggage and making her way to The Ritz Carlton and her suite there which the Doctor had booked for their stay here until next Monday.

All she had to do once she had waited at the baggage carousel was go to the Alamo Car Hire desk to pick up the Volkswagon Beetle Convertible that they had pre-booked then she could be on her way. 

The Doctor was not initially thrilled with the choice Clarice had made but she pointed out it would hold two medium sized cases with room for any shopping on the back seats and it also fitted the tourist type vehicle that Clarice advised would be better suited for them in order to blend in rather than some supercharged sedan that was more to the Doctors liking and hers for comfort but would stand out.

After she had checked in and unpacked she would go to Amparo and Joe’s house for drinks with her family who flew in yesterday and stay there overnight before spending the next day being pampered and looked after in a beauty salon Amparo and her mother had chosen to prepare for the wedding ceremony later that evening.

The dress Clarice was wearing was a simple satin maxi dress in Boudoir Pink by one of Amparo’s favourite design houses called Ghost and she had managed to find some matching shade stiletto strappy sandals to bring her closer to Amparo’s height so she did not look ridiculously short next to her in the photographs.

Ghost were known for their simple feminine style and Clarice had been fitted for her dress in Buenos Aires then it had been sent on ahead with the wedding dress once altered. 

The only thing Clarice had not yet seen were the flowers but the photograph she had seen pleased her, they were identical arrangements of red roses enclosed by gypsophilia. A very simple and elegant timeless arrangement that Clarice adored, the bride had the larger bouquet and Clarice the smaller posy.

Once that was done it would by then be Wednesday and she had planned to spend some time with John Bould and his new partner including lunch which she was treating them to at the Hotel.

After that she would consult her map and notes she had made back at home and programme the satellite navigation in the car for the drive to Daytona to seek out Will Graham and lay the foundations for his demise which all going well should take place on Friday once the Doctor had landed and purchased his weapon of choice and anything else he may need.

All any of them could do now was wait.


	4. Chapter 4

The wedding had gone off without a hitch and Amparo looked radiant as the Pastor pronounced them Mr & Mrs Joseph Wright to the congregation as the Florida sun set behind them.

Everyone had had a wonderful time and partied and danced into the small hours to a live local rock band that had been the couples choice before waving them off to their Hotel for what remained of the night then they would fly out to Bermuda the next day for their honeymoon. 

Clarice met John and Art later the next day in the hotel reception and had a wonderful lunch and catch up with them dining in Primo, one of the Hotel’s many restaurants which specialized in dishes inspired by the coastal regions of Italy, France and Spain.

The dress code was casual but smart and this suited Clarice as it meant she would not have to change before going to Daytona later and opted for a red lightweight linen jacket and matching trousers with a sleeveless white silk blouse underneath. She complimented the look with flat matching red sandals that she could comfortably drive and walk in, and a small handbag to store her sunglasses, keys and her wallet.

They did indeed have the best time, Art spoke very good English and was very open and approachable, so much better suited to John than Stefan had ever been. 

They were a similar age and like his name Art was an artist and sculptor so again they had much in common and made a great couple.  
He also enjoying showing John the parts of India tourists rarely saw and some of the photographs of India’s interior landscape he had bought with him to show her were stunning.

Alas it was all over far too soon and the two and a half hours spent together flew by. 

Clarice was soon alone again in the Hotel foyer waving them off as the taxi pulled away to take them back to their Hotel and prepare for their flight this evening.

Suddenly feeling dizzy and unsteady on her feet she quickly took the closest seat she could find knocking the small table next to it over with a bang on the polished marble floor. A glass ashtray that had also been on the table top shattered into a thousand pieces causing everyone including the Hotel pianist who was in the middle of “a song for guy” to stop and stare.

A concierge rushed forward and helped her steady herself by waving a hand at the shocked receptionist to bring a glass of water quickly for this lady who at the moment looked as white as a ghost.

Sure that she would pass out he waved to his colleague to help him lay her flat on one of the reception area rugs with her legs elevated and feet propped up on the small tub chair she had been sitting on.

The concierge advised this being a designated First Aider and explained to her this was the safest place to be if she did pass out but would also help with the blood flow to her heart and aid her recovery.  
All the time he kept talking to her and reassuring her until she felt much better and felt able to sit up, sipping the water the receptionist had knelt down and given to her until she felt better again.

It was decided after a chat as to whether she wanted to see their duty Doctor, which she declined, that due to the heat outside which had risen to 35 degrees and humidity which was also on the rise that these were the probable causes of her near fainting episode. She felt better now and was certainly a better color than she had been and she was determined to carry on with her plan to drive to Daytona and hopefully find Will Graham.

On leaving the hotel she found a small Liquor Store further down the street and purchased a small bottle of Vladivar Russian Vodka and managed to slip the slimline bottle into her bag. If Graham was still drinking she reasoned this would help loosen his tongue with information about himself and his day to day movements. 

She had also purchased back in Buenos Aires a very expensive long straight brown wig with a chunky fringe, it was made from human hair was very realistic unlike some cheaper ones which had looked awful. 

This was to alter her appearance to anyone that may see her visiting the house in Daytona and she would team this with her shades which would hopefully hide enough of her true appearance from any passers by and neighbor’s that may see her once Graham’s body was found and the police would start looking for witnesses and asking questions of the residents as to who had seen anything suspicious or noticed strangers recently in the neighbourhood.

As the Volkswagon Beetle cruised along the Highway she sang loudly along to Something tells me I’m into something good playing on the local radio station until she saw signs ahead for South Daytona.

She then turned up the volume on the stereo and cut the music so she could hear the satellite navigation system’s directions to a local park which was across the road from the entrance to North Lakeside Drive where Graham was last known to be living and where she would park up and walk to the house.

As she parked up, she took the hairnet and wig from the glovebox and quickly put them on using the rear view mirror to check her appearance before leaving the air con of the vehicle and stepping out into the mid afternoon heat which was showing no sign of abating. 

She still felt okay in herself apart from the odd griping pains in her groin which had slowly started to return this week but could be controlled with paracetamol so she carried on across the road and made her way along the long and winding pavement towards the house number she was looking for.

The properties were all very similar along this particular stretch of the road. They rose in height as the road went uphill and from the rear they clearly overlooked the sea. Many were single storey red brick properties with double garages, painted shutters at the windows, neat and manicured gardens that the occupants clearly took a pride in.

This was not the sort of property she imagined Will Graham living in, when she google mapped the area for parking she had not looked at the houses in particular but these really did not look like the sort of home a drunken bum lived in but this was the address the Doctor had given her so she carried on.

Eventually she arrived at 458 North Lakeside Drive, similar to the other properties with windows open at the front, someone was definitely home although there appeared to be no vehicle in the driveway.

She steeled herself, walked up the path and knocked on the door.

A small slender lady with huge suspicious brown eyes who Clarice at first glance thought looked to be in her late 60s answered the door and peered out through the gap that the security chain allowed.

Good afternoon mam, sorry to bother you but I am looking for an old friend of mine who lived at this address a few years ago now called Will Graham, is he still here, do you know of him?

The woman eyed her suspiciously, it had been years since anyone had come here looking for Will, he had few friends and she certainly did not recognize this one.

Who’s asking? she said clearly on her guard.

I don’t mean to cause alarm really I don’t, Clarice countered removing her shades and folding them into her jacket pocket, I used to work with Will at Quantico Academy years ago and we lost touch, I was in the area and just thought I would look him up that’s all.

The woman paused as though processing what Clarice had just said then closed the door and reopened it fully this time, poking her head out and looking warily up and down the street checking that she had come alone.

Are you FBI? She asked eyeing the way Clarice was dressed, she did not look like FBI with her French manicured nails, designer suit and bag she thought.

Well I used to be, like I said that’s how I met Will initially but…I am doing other things with my life now, is Will still living here?

You had better come in, I keep a gun in the house too so don’t try anything either she said aggressively before stepping aside so Clarice could enter.

Clarice swallowed loudly not expecting such a statement from this old lady and almost laughed but cautiously went inside, she could soon disarm her she knew that but only wanted to use force as as last resort and why so aggressive?

I am Agnes, Will’s aunt, welcome to my humble abode.

Clarice began to undo her sandals when the woman chuckled and stopped her.

We don’t stand on ceremony in this house young lady, leave the shoes on and go on into the front room there she gestured, sit anywhere you like.

She stood in the middle of the room still on her guard as Clarice chose a chair by one of the windows. The old lady looked her up and down taking in every detail.

Now tell me again how you know my nephew, what’s your name?

This had caught Clarice out, she was quite prepared to reveal her identity to Will but she too was on her guard with this woman and where the hell was Will, she was certainly being quite evasive. Although she had asked her in so that must mean she was prepared to talk.

Clarice’s thoughts raced along like an express train as she wracked her brain for a name, then she remembered the Hotel Receptionists name badge hanging over her as she knelt down to hand her the glass of water earlier when she collapsed, Sarah Brown, that would do.

She cleared her throat and said my name is Sarah, Sarah Brown and I worked with Will at Quantico Academy in the 80s, just before he left actually. I was a junior secretary and I used to do filing for him, the odd letter here and there, we hit it off, he was a really nice bloke, it was shame what happened. He phoned me out of the blue one day and told me he was staying here with a relative and well, what with one thing and another I have never spoke with him since. To be fair it’s been years, I hope he remembers me she sighed with a small smile.

This story was the best she could come up with at short notice and she hoped it would cut the ice with this little unassuming but razor sharp old lady. She was no fool that was for sure, she would have to tread carefully here or she would catch herself out, this lady was controlling the questions and that needed turning around.

I am only here in Florida because of work, I don’t generally travel this far south which is why I have not called before. I live in Washington still you see, I should have perhaps written or phoned maybe just turning up like this was probably not a good idea, I do apologise if I have disturbed you.

You ain’t bothering me miss I am retired now she said a little more relaxed and welcoming than she had been, and whatever method of communication you chose the outcome would still have been the same.

She looked wistful now and made her way to a small photograph in a silver frame and took it from a cabinet in the corner of the room.

She handed it to Clarice. It was a picture of a very handsome man, thick dark hair with a lean but fit build. It looked like it was taken when he would have been in his thirties if this was indeed who she thought it was.

That was taken in the 1980s, that’s how you would remember him isnt it she said looking directly at Clarice now.

Yes. Yes of course, yes I recognized him instantly, this looks like a vacation shot.

It was, it was taken by Molly on their Honeymoon.

Molly, Molly who the hell was Molly? Clarice wracked her brain for an answer then picked up on the old ladies words, Honeymoon, yes Graham had been married.

As yes, Molly…I cant say I met her but Will spoke of her often, she smiled hoping the answer was favourable. She knew Grahams marriage had ended but that was about all she knew of that particular part of his life.

Seemingly satisfied with Clarice’s answers the old lady then opened up with what had happened to Will Graham and where she would be able to find him.

As you said earlier about it being sad what happened to Will’s career, yes it was and as he told you he did come and stay with me here for a while. The idea being once he was back on his feet that he would get a place of his own again, that was the plan anyway she trailed off.

Clarice sat forward in her seat careful not to say anything that would arouse suspicion now that the conversation was at last headed in the right direction as the old lady placed the photograph of Will on the empty coffee table and sat down directly across from her now with her hands clasped in her lap.

Have you ever known anyone with alcohol addiction and post traumatic stress disorder Miss Brown?

I cant say that I have, no, I was not aware….are you trying to say that Will did?

The old lady sighed as though having to explain pained her though to Clarice’s relief she carried on.

After the Dolarhyde incident and the failure of his marriage Will became dependant on drink to handle his PTSD.

When he turned up here he was a mess so I took him in provided he straightened himself out, got counseling and went to Alcoholics Anonymous. All the things you do when you care about someone and you can see they have lost their way, because he had big time she said holding her hands high and wide apart to emphasize her point.

For a while he did straighten himself out she continued but with all people like Will, they are never recovered, simply in remission if you like and he did suffer with such dark thoughts at times because of what had happened to him.

She paused again and took a deep breath, seemingly to compose herself or so Clarice thought before she continued.

He got a place of his own, I helped him financially and he got a job where I worked in the warehouse division. Well one day he never turned up so being his relative they asked me where he was. 

I tried calling him, got no answer so my boss let me go to his apartment and I found him. He had taken prescription sedatives and drunk half a bottle of whisky, he was pronounced dead at the scene, there was nothing anyone could do, there was no note nothing.

This was not the outcome Clarice had been expecting. The first thought in her mind was damn all this for nothing but also relief, she had not wanted the Doctor doing this in the first place putting himself at risk so this was in a way good news for her. 

The old lady simply sat now staring at her lap.

Clarice broke the silence by offering her condolences and enquired without meaning to be pushy about when this happened, simply because she knew the Doctor would demand to know. He was a stickler for details and she knew he would want the lot even down to who performed the funeral service if possible.

It all happened Christmas time 1997, Christmas is a hard time of year for a lot of people I suppose isn’t it, but I really did think he was alright, there was no indication he would have done anything like that, not at that time.

She rose again now and this time went to a small bookcase and produced a small pamphlet. It was an order of service booklet, on the front was his photograph and underneath the writing, A celebration of the life of William George Graham 01.05.1947 – 10.12.1997.

She handed it to Clarice who politely leafed through the few pages pretending to be interested.

He is buried at the Memorial Cemetary on Sibert Avenue not far from here. We just had family at the service and certainly no high up’s from the FBI like that bloody Jack Crawford she said with venom in her voice now. 

It was a cremation but that’s where his ashes were Interrered if you wanted to go there yourself and pay your respects as his friend and all.

Of course I shall, yes, yes I will probably go there at some point today, if you could just let me know whereabouts the plot is in the cemetery, I am sure I will find it Clarice said feigning thanks.

I will jot it down with directions to the cemetery, just hang on there while I find some paper. The old lady walked off to another room leaving Clarice sitting there staring at Will’s photograph on the coffee table and Order Of Service pamphlet.

My god I just want to get out of here she thought feeling like the real imposter she was all of a sudden. It was as hot inside as it was outside with just a sniff of a breeze from the open windows, the old woman clearly was used to it and had offered no refreshments either. 

She really did just want to get back to the car now and take a drink from a bottle of water she had in the chilled glovebox and feel the cool air of the air-con blast her in the face, the wig by now was annoyingly hot and itchy too.

Clarice rose now taking the notepaper with the cemetery information on it and thanked Agnes for her time and again apologized for disturbing her afternoon and any upset talking about Will may have caused her.

They shook hands at the door and Clarice bade the old lady farewell.

Any time, any friend of Will’s is a friend of mine she called after her from the edge of her lawn as Clarice walked away hot, bothered and nauseous down the long and winding road.

She watched the woman who called herself Sarah Brown walking away up the Street from her lawn until she was around the corner and out of sight.

With another wary glance up and down the road she slowly turned and went back inside.

Once indoors she went upstairs to her bedroom and took down a shoe box from the top shelf of her closet and laid the contents on her bed.  
Inside were a pair of brand new rose colored slippers wrapped in pink tissue paper which she placed carefully on the bed beside the box.

Next she picked up a mobile phone from the bottom of the box and switched it on before going to the phone directory section and selected the one and only number the phone contained. She left a simple message on the numbers voicemail leaving a request for someone to call her as soon as possible due to the fact she had had a visitor asking about her nephew Will Graham.

Then rather strangely she also added, The Owls are not what they seem.

She then placed the phone in her cardigan pocket and waited.

\-------------------------------------------------


	5. Chapter 5

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE UNIT QUANTICO NOVEMBER 1997

Call for you Sir, a Mr Will Graham asking specifically for you.

I wont take it here in the lab, put it through in my office said Crawford picking up the fizzing tumbler of Alka Seltzer and stirring it briskly with a spoon as he crossed the floor to his private office. Will Graham calling him after all this time, something was up he thought as his indigestion ran riot, acid reflux burning his throat as he closed his office door and locked it.

Crawford looked at the flashing light on the telephone keypad which denoted person on hold, took a deep breath and put on his best optimistic voice as he lifted the receiver and pressed the flashing button to accept the call.

Will……good to hear from you, what can I do for you?

Hello Jack, sorry to call you out of the blue its been some time hasn’t it, listen there’s a problem. I wont beat around the bush its Lecter, I’ve had another one of his “love” letters.

For christ’s sake sighed Crawford taking a off his glasses off and rubbing his forehead in frustration before slumping into his swivel chair.  
Have you opened it yet, is it in the usual form, fancy stationery in his own hand?

I have not opened it, not yet but yes it’s the usual mauve thick paper envelope, blue ink fountain pen in his handwriting, its him alright, the frank on the stamp indicates it was posted two days ago in Washington sighed Will despondently.

Sit tight with it and I will get a local Agent to pick it up and forward it on to us here. We shall open it once we know know its safe and see what he wants this time.

That’s the one thing bothering me Jack, its been twelve years since I have seen him and had a letter from him, why now?  
I am almost tempted to rip into the damn thing myself.

NO don’t do that shouted Crawford now with panic in his voice. He could have dusted the paper with something nasty, just bag the damn thing up and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards, there could be an explosive in the lining, anything.

With all due respect Jack poison and letter bombs are not Lecter’s style are they. He is the master of mockery and threat, a mind fucker, I don’t like the fact he has taken the trouble to write to me after all this time let alone found my new address.

Let me get a car sent out to pick this letter up, please Will bear with me, let me check it out first, as soon as we have looked at it I shall call you back. I have a mobile number coming up on my screen here shall I use this one for contact,  
are you still living with your Aunt in Daytona ?

Yes, said Will wearily, North Lakeside Drive, same address you have and yes this is my personal mobile so use this one.

Right, I should have it tomorrow morning by the courier service. I will call you then about the contents of it and what he has to say, in the meantime Will is there anywhere else you can go, a friend or hotel ?

Friends would ask too many questions at short notice and my Aunt is out shopping at the moment so I suppose I will have to book in somewhere for us. 

I think that will be for the best just until we know what’s going on, keep a look out for my guy, there is one I use in your area called Chester Desmond he will come in an unmarked car – you know the drill.

Yeah, I suppose I do don’t I, though I wish I didn’t.

By now Will had unconsciously adopted Crawfords rhythm and syntax in his voice, Crawford heard it and recognized the change from old times but said nothing.

\-----------------------------------------------------

Crawford downed the Alka Seltzer drink in one large gulp and after emitting a rather loud burp picked up the phone and made two calls in quick succession.

One to Agent Desmond in Florida tasked with collecting the letter from Will and sending it directly to him via the private mail courier system, marked with the Priority and Private official stamp.

Next he called Starlings new acquaintance she had told him about at the DNA Lab Miss A Benning who had extracted samples of DNA from Lecter’s toothbrush in Florence while trying to link Lecter to the Donnie Barber case and briefed her that he would have another item coming tomorrow for testing to be done to check for another match against Lecter’s DNA file.  
He also made Miss Benning aware this task would be a matter of priority above anything else she had on tomorrow and she was to deal only with him on this matter and no one else.

This was to be kept quiet, minimal people involved at this stage and no update on the VICAP Lecter file either should the letter be genuine.

Once the plans were afoot Crawford sat back and ruffled through his drawer for a packet of some chewable Vitamin C lozenges he had stashed at the back and considered what had become of Will Graham, once a good friend, someone he could sit and have a meal with at one time, share a phone call with about anything and everything.

As he recalled the events of twelve years ago he also opened up a bottle of Gilko & Ginseng capsules to chew on next, which he kept next to the Vitamin C.

Once the Dolarhyde fiasco was behind them and Will was out of hospital it became clear not only through the disintegration of his marriage to Molly but from Will himself that any further involvement with the Bureau was over. He felt washed up, burnt out, but not out, never out - that man despite his struggles was the bravest and most resilient man Jack Crawford had ever met.

He tried in vain to persuade him to take up his position training new recruits again, to pass on some of his knowledge and share his gift with the up and coming rookies that would take up the cause for justice in the future, but to no avail.

Will had had enough, as well as the psychological scars he had been mutilated, near butchered and as much as it pained Jack Crawford a part of him could not blame him for wanting to turn his back on it all.

So with a heavy heart he let him go. The one thing Will did ask though was that he wanted desperately to be left alone, no unwanted attention from the Press, no more contact from the likes of Lecter or other cranks out there tormenting him, he just wanted to be left alone, not fearing that knock on the door. It did not seem to much to ask considering what Graham had done for them.

The only thing that did hurt jack was the web of lies he had to spin on Wills behalf and even with his blessing it still pained him.

He was tasked whenever asked about Graham and his whereabouts to paint a picture of a broken man, a helpless drunk that would sell his own shirt off his back if it would get him his next drink. A drifter that had lost his mind wandering from one town to another. 

This tall tale was to keep people from searching, they could wonder and they could ask but as soon as they heard that story the interest soon faded, and that was what Will wanted. It had worked beautifully until now.

The truth of the matter was this, after Molly left Will did indeed drift and drank like a fish for a good week after she had gone but eventually found himself at his Aunt Agnes house in Daytona Florida, out of money and out of his head on drink. He planned to stay a week after she helped him inside but never left.

She was his late mothers sister and worked in the office at a local DIY Warehouse doing payroll and other accounting work. It was not long before she managed to get Will a job in the warehouse driving a forklift, it was a world away from anything he had ever done before, the same menial tasks daily no need to think just do, switch off at the end of the day and go home. Nobody endlessly wanting something regardless of his emotional expense – the life of a simple man = bliss.

She also helped him get off the booze and straighten him out, that was a stipulation of him being allowed to stay with her. 

He had grown his hair longer to the length of his chin, parted on the right side sweeping across his face to cover the scar tissue on the left side and the deep crimson line across his eye where Dolaryde’s blade had caught him before he drove it deep down into his cheek and mouth.

He also had grown a beard which he kept short and trimmed, not ideal as he preferred to be clean shaven but another good cover for the horrendous scarring on his cheek and upper neck.

On the surface he looked trim, tanned and casually smart. A world away from the gaunt haunted figure Crawford had last seen all those years ago on a hospital bed.

It was amazing what removal of stress could do for the human condition and he was a prime example.

He did still have the occasional night terrors but these were much helped by the only medication he was now on, a single sedative to help him sleep. That was all he needed and he felt proud of that achievement. 

It had been a hard road in the beginning dealing with his injuries, the rehabilitation process as well as the loss of Molly and Willy. The boy had not even wanted speak to him on the phone in the end which hurt, he was not his biological father but loved him like his own and he had struggled with his feelings of loss for the family he once had.

It was within a month of being in Daytona that he had called Crawford and informed him of what he had to say to anyone who should ever ask for him or about him and to his credit Jack had done it. When Crawford realized he could not talk him into coming back to Washington he called it quits wishing him well and Will prayed that he would never have to speak to him again. Any friendship they had now evaporated with Crawfords personal guilt at how things turned out and Wills own anger at being so easily drawn into the Dolarhyde case in the first place. 

They were polite and civil at the end with nothing much left to say on either side.

There was the scare when news of Lecter’s escape became public knowledge from Memphis. On seeing the late news on CNN he felt every scar on his body ache and rushed to the bathroom and wretched at the toilet pan bringing up all of his evening meal until nothing but yellow bile was left, he had nothing left then in his stomach and felt empty. For the first time in a long time felt scared but fortunately nothing came of it, he heard nothing, saw nothing suspicious and eventually the news died down and life returned to normal.

He did receive a letter from Crawford urging him to contact him with any concerns he may have regarding his safety and agreed to do so if he felt the need but he never had until now.

All he could do now was wait for his Aunt to get home, appraise her of the situation and bail out for however long this was going to take. This annoyed him greatly but he knew deep down it was for the best, all he could do was wait and place himself one last time in the hands of Jack Crawford and the glorious F-B-I.


	6. Chapter 6

It was 2 pm and Jack Crawford sat at his desk carefully turning a multivitamin gummy bear between his fingers considering how best to devour the small orange creature before placing it to his mouth and biting its head off as the phone on his desk began to ring, he answered it on the second ring.

Crawford 

Good afternoon Sir it’s Benning from Forensics. We have the letter sir and it has passed as safe to open, it has had all the necessary checks done and I have taken what I need from it so, it is ready for you to see sir.

Excellent work Benning I am on my way, with that he hung up.

He left his office and briefly paused by Starlings curtained room, he heard voices inside and the sound of the printer in operation. Why he stopped he could not say but quickly gathered his thoughts again and made his way to the Forensics lab.

Once in the lab Crawford donned gloves and examined the contents behind a small Perspex screen to avoid contamination of evidence before returning to his office with a photocopy of it and telephoned Will.

It was very similar on first read through to the threatening letter sent to Mason Verger, but where Lecter had promised Verger would die, this one was a bit more cryptic but the message was loud and clear all the same.

Dearest Will

How excited you must be to realise that once again my feet tread on hallowed American soil. 

I trust you are still a fan of the news despite the demise of your former associate mr freddy lounds, remember him?

I have already written to mason verger informing him that I shall be dropping by his home at a time of my convenience during my stay and feel it most rude that you should be left out of the reunion celebrations.

As with young mason, I cannot say exactly when I shall get around to seeing you but felt it prudent as the winter months come upon us to discuss the matter of your spleen, or lack of it thanks to our mutual acquaintance mr dolarhyde and the precarious situation it can leave people like yourself in regarding your lack of ability to fight infections.

like mason I would hate you to expire due to some infection robbing me of my chance to be reacquainted with you just one more time so I would like to advise you in the first instance if you have not done so already to contact your doctor and request the following: 

Meningitis vaccination  
Influenza jab  
Pneumonia jab

I realise these things will do nothing to alter what remains of the left side of your face, like I said in previous correspondence you must be very ugly but you cannot have everything you want in life all of the time can you will?

As with all things like this letter after so much time you may wonder if this is a hoax, I am sure you shall waste no time handing this over to the fbi for fingerprint and handwriting analysis to be sure of its authenticity, an anxious wait ahead of you, but in the meantime let me spare you the angst of the wait by confirming information only you and I know.

When I last saw you I was reading le grand dictionnaire de cuisine and I asked after officer stewart, you lied telling me he was fine like you lied about yourself being fine and probably still do so to this day.

AT THE TIME OF OUR LAST MEETING I HAD A GIFT IN MIND FOR YOU WHICH I NEVER GOT AROUND TO SENDING SO HAVE ENCLOSED IT FOR YOU NOW, JUST FOR OLD TIMES SAKE.

I shall be seeing you then will, cannot say when but I can assure you when I do you will be in full receipt of what you deserve.

Yours faithfully  
Hannibal lecter md  
ENCS..

The time had come that Lecter would take Will Grahams life, be it tomorrow, next month or next year, it was clear he would be seeking him out at some point, Will could not stay where he was.

Also enclosed with the letter was a colostomy bag, the “gift” Lecter had spoken about no doubt related to the fact that Will had needed one initially after he had nearly disembowled him the first time. The picture taken by Lounds of Will lying stricken in his Intensive Care bed, bag attached a great source of great amusement to Lecter when he read his copy of The Tattler.

It made Crawford shudder but steeled his determination to find him, apprehend him and see him executed. That would be a fitting end to his career, perfect!

Once Will answered his phone the conversation began with covering the contents of the letter (Crawford did not mention the Colostomy bag), and the statements given by Lecter in the letter to prove its authenticity.

Will did confirm that Lecter was indeed reading the mentioned cookery book at the time of his visit and did ask about Officer Stewart.

These were things only the two of them could know. Will had never mentioned this to a living soul so it was without doubt this letter was genuine, the forensic report confirming it would just be a formality.

Then Will covered where he and his Aunt were currently staying and small talk about the hotel then they moved onto discussions as to what would happen next. 

Crawford suggested something similar to witness protection, transferring to a safe house for a period of time while he, Starling and the rest of the team closed the net on Lecter’s whereabouts hopefully leading to an arrest in the near future.

Like an urge to pick and itch at a scab what Crawford could not leave alone however his desire to apprehend Lecter as quickly as possible and at any cost to whoever he roped in along the way.

Old habits with Jack Crawford died hard.

Starling and Pickford were doing a great job tracking and tracing purchases drawing up a profile of Lecters spending habits, places he would likely go to procure things. Slowly but carefully she was closing the net on Lecter’s likely whereabouts.

Crawford knew that Starling would prevail in the end and the showdown with Lecter would ensue but when? She was doing studious and meticulous work researching, phoning and collating like a machine but this work at times was methodical and slow relying on co-operation from businesses that she had targeted as potential suppliers to the lifestyle of Doctor Lecter’s excessive and expensive tastes. 

Pressure was coming now from Justice and just about everywhere else after the threat to Masons life to shut Lecter down. When the high ups discovered he was after Graham too the shit would really hit the fan regarding the lack of progress especially now it seemed Lecter was also amusing himself by murdering random members of the public he took a dislike to again like Barber.

It was in this moment of grim realization that the idea struck him, he would be damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. Times were desperate so he gave it his best shot.

Look Will, I realize the conversation we had a few years ago about you wanting to distance yourself from the FBI..

I did not want to distance myself at all snapped Will  
I said I was done with it and I meant it.

Silence on the phone line for now as Crawford took a deep breath to maintain his composure and took a swig of Pepto Bismol straight from the bottle to counter his bubbling heartburn before he started again.

All I am trying to say Will, is that we want him caught as soon as possible as do you and Verger, we all share a common cause. Surelyyou must see that and would that cause not be better served with you back on board?

We could catch him together and when he is sat waiting for the hour to approach that will end his life I will guarantee you a ringside seat with myself to see an end once and for all to that sadistic little prick and his pen pal tendencies.

Before he went on Crawford once again paused to take a breath and lower his voice which was growing louder and faster as the conversation had progressed.

You surely must see it would be better for you to be involved, doing something rather just sitting in limbo waiting for your life to restart.

Starling has a guy called Pickford working with her and as capable as he is he is no match for someone of your caliber, we could utilize your presence to draw him out. Lecter seems to have a fondness for Starling, he has written to her and to be honest some people here not me I might add, but some people here are questioning where her loyalties may lie.  
You would be the perfect partner for her to keep her focused, to keep me in the loop regarding her thinking and once Lecter knows you are back on board we could fabricate a relationship between the two of you to draw him out and…..

NO! NO WAY JACK……just see to the safe house and get us the hell out of this hotel Will shouted before the line went dead.

\-----------------------------------------------

Some two hours later while Crawford was finalising as quietly as possible the protection plan for Will and his Aunt and waiting for details of a safe house to be organized by the relevant people his telephone rang, it was Will.

Before you start Jack, let me make one thing very clear  
I have listened to everything that you want, as usual no one really seems to care about what I want, well this is what this part of the phone call will be about and YOU WILL listen, right?

Go ahead then Will, said Crawford, apprehension in his voice, what are your terms?

Firstly there are no terms as you put it. I aint coming back to help Starling, you or anyone so forget that notion.

As you said from the letter Lecter will come but no one knows when or he could never come at all, more mind games, well I cannot live like that.  
I shall go to the safe house for now my Aunt however will not, she is going home. She has her weapon and is prepared to take her chances, I don’t agree with it but its her choice.

What I want from you and probably what I should have asked for all along is a new life, a new name in a new place far away from where Lecter and the rest of your have a go hero’s can find me. You have the power to do this for me Jack, it’s the only way this will not happen again in another 5 -10 years, that’s what I want. For old times sake Jack do this for me – you and the bureau owe me.

At first Crawford felt angry at the insinuation of what Will felt he was owed, but then he knew that in many ways he was right. 

He had pushed to the back of his mind many nights the responsibility of what happened to Will, the time for excuses was over in many ways like his career.  
If he could do something to redeem himself then now was the time to do it and also because although his fire was up to catch Lecter he was also tired himself and fed up, probably more than Will ever had been if he did but realize it.

I could at this point ask if you are really sure about the route you want to go down Will but I would not insult you in that way and yes I do know the people that can make this happen as you well know. 

What you want takes time and if you can be patient we will put a plan together, for now I do have details of what will be happening next so listen up.

In one hour a protection officer called Cheng shall come to your Hotel and collect you to take you to your temporary address.

As for your new identity request I am guessing the rest of that plan shall be laid out to you over the next month, that is how long it will take for new documents. They will also assist you in finding a new job then you can…disappear.

An Agent from that particular service will liaise with you about that okay, do not telephone me directly regarding this again as it will be passed over now to the relevant people once I have made the call. The only people who will know about this will be me and no more than a handful of others.

Will, I know you know this but whatever they offer you, wherever it is they will only make you one offer, you can’t pick and choose.

I understand said Will, and frankly I don’t care I just want out.

That’s that then, good luck Will

Jack…..

There was an air of finality to this call, this was it. 

Crawford and Graham would never speak to each other again.


	7. Chapter 7

SITKA – ALASKA JUNE 2005

Thomas Newbury stood at the stove in his small one bed apartment turning a piece of steak he was frying all the time keeping his eye on the clock to make sure he did not over cook it. 

His overalls from the days work at the boatyard slowly turned this way and that as the washing machine hummed and sloshed its way through its wash cycle.

As he continued tending to the Steak he added in some freshly diced onions with a sizzle from the hot fat as he quietly whistled Willie Nelsons Whisky River as the food browned in the pan, the rich aroma from the contents delicious. 

The apartment building Thomas lived in was like many properties in this part of the world, it was clad in pale blue panels of wood with a warm red slate roof and was situated just outside the hustle and bustle of the town of Sitka in a quite suburban area on Sawmill Creek Road.

He would do as he did every Wednesday night, have dinner washed down with a can of Dr Pepper then walk out to Jennas place three blocks away with Bullseye, his mongrel hound that he adopted from his neighbour when he moved. What breeds he had come from no one could be sure but he was short haired and stocky, like a bulldog but within his muscular bulk lay a heart of gold. A gentle temperament but with his appearance the perfect guard dog and deterrent to anyone thinking of causing him grief.

He had met Jenna whist out dog walking and other people all doing the same thing and they had hit it off, she was a local through and through having been born here and her family soon made sure he was part of the community. She was close to his age, single with a failed childless marriage behind her but fun, she never dwelled to long on anything and had a little poodle called donut.

Most of all she accepted him, his poor body was like a road map of scar tissue, his face under the hair and beard worse but all she saw was the man underneath and he was thankful for that believing relationships and intimacy a thing of the past until he came here.

He claimed his injuries were a result of a vicious mugging by a gang of youths and he had come here for a quieter safer life and she accepted this. If she suspected otherwise she had never said and he was grateful for that.

He smiled when the thought of her, her long black hair to her waist, slightly greying at her temples like his, her piercing green eyes and her lips tremendously parted in a smile whenever she saw him. Mmmm he thought to himself, very nice as he selected a plate from the pot rack and prepared to dish up his meal.

Wednesday night together was film night with some popcorn then the usual extra curricular activities that friends with benefits enjoyed followed by a hearty breakfast he would cook for them the next morning. 

Many would think living here a nightmare, the place was only accessible by air or boat, activities mainly based outdoors and the fishing industry thrived here.  
Sometimes internet connection was down for days when bad weather struck, but to Thomas it was perfect, far removed from everyday life, from memories he just wanted to forget.

He had a job at the local boatyard back doing diesel mechanics and had Jenna and the dogs, he was again at peace after the last upheaval in his life which bought him here from Florida.

As he sat at his small bistro table about to dig into his steak and onions his phone rang. His first thought was that Jenna was cancelling and he anxiously said, Hello ?

Could I speak to Thomas Newbury please a ladies voice said distantly on the end of the line.

Speaking, go ahead.

Hello Mr Newbury, so sorry to bother you but this is Anna Carter calling.

There was silence on the line, Anna Carter was his contact back in the real world, that only rang him with relevant news or in turn he would call her if his cover was blown.

Could you please let me know how you are getting on with your observations of the wildlife before we go any further?

Thomas gulped audibly, the wildlife in general seems fine but I have noticed the owl’s are not what they seem… 

Thank you Will replied Anna, been a few years hasn’t it.

It had been agreed that whenever Wills Aunt or he himself had to call the re-settlement service agents regarding a security issue they would work into the conversation a phrase only they knew that was the equivalent of a password to ensure they were genuinely talking to the correct person before any further conversation would continue.

Will and his Aunt had become engrossed at the time in a David Lynch drama called Twin Peaks and that was where this quote about the owl’s had come from. Something easy to remember from a show they had both enjoyed despite it being about the FBI investigating Murders in a small town, which in spite of his own experience he had still found interesting to watch.

Yes it been a few years replied Will rubbing away a stress knot that had sprung up in the back of his neck at the sound of her voice.

Without being meaning to be rude can we skip the pleasantries Anna, what’s up?

Your Aunt informed us via the messenger service that a woman claiming to be a former work colleague called Sarah Brown showed up at the house today, medium build and height, long brown hair, claims she knew you from your Quantico days. Your aunt had reservations about this because she looks a fair bit younger than you, your aunt placed her in her late 30s.

I can assure you said Will, I do not know any woman by that name, even if Brown was her married name now I still don’t know any woman called Sarah. Not that I can remember and certainly not that young, not even former students I had.

Hmm said Anna, we thought as much. I am just calling you to give you the heads up that as far as the woman is concerned you are dead, your aunt gave her the scenario we had rehearsed with her and as far as we know the woman accepted it and left.

Will, did Dr Lecter ever have any female acquaintances you were aware of that would fit this womans description?

No said Will thinking hard now, there were relationships he had with a number of women in his time as a Psychiatrist his secretary being one of them but none fitting that profile. Those women would be in their 50s/60s by now like him.

Hang on, said Will suddenly remembering Jack Crawfords words he mentioned some eight years ago “he has a fondness for Starling”

There was rumour of a relationship of sorts with an FBI Agent called Clarice Starling, it lead to her being suspended from duty according to the papers but as far as I know she is a missing person, she ran off by all accounts about eight years ago when her career imploded that’s all I know about her. I am afraid I never met her so I could not accurately give a description of her but that’s the only other woman I have ever heard of being acquainted with Lecter that would fit that age range.  
As far as I know she is a missing person, I can’t see it being her personally, I can't think of any woman that would have anything to do with Lecter either, not that young anyway.

That’s great Will, you have been very helpful and I am so sorry to have to trouble you but as you know I have to tell you if any contact regarding you is made and I shall take another look at whether Agent Starling is still listed as missing. Like you say there is nothing to connect this woman who called with Lecter either, it’s a mystery but we shall keep an eye on things.

That’s absolutely fine said Will I understand and thanks for keeping me in the loop, I shall call my Aunt tomorrow on the mobile, thanks again for the call.

No problem Will I shall tell your Aunt to keep the phone on for your call, thanks again for your help.

As he hung up, he took his dinner plate of Steak and Onions cut it into cubes and scraped it into Bullseye’s bowl, cheers for that whoever you are he said aloud with annoyance as his appetite disappeared. He gave a low whistle and patted his thigh giving permission for Bullseye to leave his basket and eat.

No one knew where he was not even his Aunt. Nothing had changed he reasoned to himself breathing deeply as he sat staring at the door while Bullseye tucked into the steak, if anyone tried anything he was ready. He had a shotgun under the bed and at this moment another can of Dr Pepper in one hand and a trusty baseball bat gripped tight in the other.

The time for running was over he would stay and hope for the best and if anyone did come let them try something, this time he would be waiting and they would regret it.


	8. Chapter 8

Back in Buenos Aires The Doctor stands in their dressing room with a medium sized suitcase open on the floor selecting summer clothes to wear for the three days he will be in Florida with Clarice before they return home on Monday.

He is booked with Delta Airlines in first class with a seat by the wing and window on their 11am flight to Orlando tomorrow morning and should hopefully land all going well at 10pm American time where Clarice will be waiting with the dreaded Volkswagon Beetle in the drop off and pick up zone outside the Terminal.

Tonight after many phone calls regarding his welfare this week from Catalina and being taken to lunch by her two days in a row he has finally invited her to dinner. Her first time ever coming here and he was only doing that because he knew that normally Clarice would never let her past the front door had she been in residence. 

Catalina had been very attentive though and although the conversation was grating at times she meant well, and this would be a nice way to thank her. He had agreed to pick her up at 7.30pm.

He had tried to engage her yesterday at lunch in what meeting Stephen Hawking had been like the night before but he could see rather disappointingly she really had no interest and no idea what he was talking about when he covered some of the topics he had discussed with him.  
The theory of Entropy and chaos being one of them which they had discussed in great detail, a wonderful mental joust between the two men the Doctor had thoroughly enjoyed but was lost on her.

During his nightly call to Clarice she however had listened and given her opinions readily and did come across as genuinely interested when he had discussed the evening with her. That was the difference, as beautiful as the two women were in their own right Clarice understood him, was on his wavelength, something Catalina could never be or hope to understand.

He instructed Maria to make dinner for two nothing fancy just the usual weekday fare which in his opinion would more than do for a Wednesday evening and to set it up all in the main dining room for 8pm.

It was then that all the plans went awry. By now it was 6pm in Buenos Aires, 4pm in Florida when the Doctors phone rang, its identification on screen showing as “Kim”.

Hello darling, I was going to call you later is everything alright?

Well yes and no, I have just got back to the Hotel from visiting Will Grahams house like we planned and it turns out he did live there with a relative, an elderly aunt who still lives there now.

What do you mean, did live there….where is he now then, did she say?

Oh yes she told me alright, he is living permanently in Daytona Memorial Cemetery….Will Graham is dead.

At first the Doctor was disappointed that Will had beaten him to it. At first it seemed hard to believe he was really gone and by his own hand, incredible.  
Clarice covered everything that was said and what she had asked in turn and she had been very thorough with her questions so there seemed to be no doubt it was true.

The only consolation he did take was that perhaps his letter only a few weeks before had probably been the thing that tipped him over the edge, he really hoped so.

Clarice also confessed about being unwell and the near fainting episode. This was showing the Doctor all the hallmarks that she was headed for a period of sickness again and felt it best once she had spoken with Ardelia Mapp to try and reschedule an earlier flight back home and just abandon the short break idea together on this occasion, which she knew with reluctance was for the best.

He did go over with her one more time the plan for when she landed in Baltimore. She was going tomorrow now and would use a taxi to get to the Car Storage facility in Baltimore where the Mustang was that way there would be no evidence of Kim Novak using a hire car to get around, the less of a paper trail she left on this errand the better.

Once there she would get access to the unit the car was in and retrieve John Brighams .45 from the weapon case of what remained of his bequest to Clarice.

They had chosen to leave other things before they left America in the trunk of the Mustang as well such as a Harpy, a Bowie Knife and some dissection tools, it was a handy store and made weapons easily available should they ever find themselves in the US and need a gun or blade. This was so much easier than having to apply for permits and show ID and in some states proof of residency before you could buy a firearm.

Clarice had no intention of harming Ardelia she was no threat but it had still been years since she had seen her and she had no idea if anyone else would be there when she called this Flux guy being one of them. As always she felt safer with a gun by her side, the Doctor agreed with this as a precaution.

He also confessed that he had invited Catalina for dinner tonight as a thank you for taking him to lunch twice this week.

Once that was covered the Doctor made her promise to keep her phone on as he still wanted to speak to her later before she turned in for the night so he could say goodnight.

Clarice laughed and accused him of being soppy but did soften and confess she loved and missed him too and would indeed love to speak to him again later, she also lied and said she hoped he had a nice evening with Catalina.

Later as she made her way downstairs towards Primo Restaurant she checked her watch and thought of the Doctor now entertaining that woman at there home. How much it annoyed her that she was actually inside there house the Doctor would never know, she had played it cool when he admitted he had invited her there this evening but it was his house too and she was his friend so she knew whatever bitterness she felt she had better swallow it. 

She hated him to think of her being petty and knew what a chore he found such behavior, no doubt she would hear all about it later when he called. 

The only other job she now had to do tomorrow after returning from seeing Ardelia was visit the Delta Airlines customer service desk and see what they could offer her in regard to sourcing an earlier flight home then finally her work here would be done.


	9. Chapter 9

The weekday dinner Maria had prepared consisted of Prawn Cocktail followed by a rare and succulent Sirloin Steak, pan fried mushrooms and vine roasted tomatoes with Marias speciality dessert Alfajores de Maicena, melt in the mouth mini cookies filled with Dulce de Leche, a very sweet creamy caramel sauce.

Maria also knew that Alfajores were her mistresses favourite dessert and did not like the presence of this new woman in the house holding the Senors arm like she did and looking all doe eyed at him when they both came walking through the front door later on. 

This woman’s over familiarity with him to Maria was most off putting and she was worried, she did not like the haughty air this woman gave off who glanced at Maria like something unpleasant she had stood in. 

She hoped he would see the desert and think of her mistress incase he was thinking of the unthinkable with this other woman. 

Could a desert stop him from straying, absolutely not but worth a try she thought.

She had seen friends come for dinner before, the Morenos were regulars, sometimes her mistress would entertain potential clients for her photography work but of all the people she had seen come and go never had she seen any other woman hang of Senor Novak the way this one did. More shocking was the fact he did not seem bothered by it or aware of the inappropriateness of it.

Maria had served in affluent houses in Argentina for years and she knew full well affairs went on but not in this way, not in front of the staff!

As they began on the Prawn Cocktail Maria carried the next two courses into the dining room and placed the hot food in the Heated buffet server tray to keep warm and slid two dinner plates underneath on its shelf. Then as she set desert out on the sideboard she could not help but notice again the woman gazing at Senor Novak, laughing a little too enthusiastically and hanging off his every word.

He noticed Maria hovering by the sideboard in the corner of his eye and broke their conversation to politely thank her for preparing tonights meal as he always did and bade her good evening. The snotty cow never even looked away from him or acknowledged her, not for a second which Maria again thought very rude.

Whilst considering if there was anything she had made tonight that this she devil with a bit of luck could choke on, she countered the rudeness herself before leaving for the night by loudly retorting, thank you Senor Novak, I shall see YOU tomorrow.  
This sarcasm was of course lost on Catalina who just wanted the skivvy out of the way so she could get on with their evening as she had planned it undisturbed. She had not spent a fortune on new underwear for nothing.

After finishing there meal the Doctor suggested a nightcap upstairs in the drawing room which Catalina enthusiastically accepted, the Doctor had recently acquired a lovely bottle of Remy Martin Cognac and had opened it earlier to breathe.

He was keen to try it out and to have someone to share it with was even better so up to the drawing room they went. Catalina admired the view from the terrace doors overlooking the Avenue below whilst the Doctor lit the fire and busied himself at the cocktail cabinet preparing the drinks.

Catalina’s eyes were drawn to the inquisitive gaze of Mischa who stared innocently at her from the charcoal drawing on a small half moon table.

Who is this little girl here in the drawing, is this Kim as a child? She asked

No, no that’s not Kim, that is my sister, drawn when she was very young, all grown up now though like me he smiled handing her a heavy crystal tulip style glass quarter filled with the Cognac and the statutory two cubes of ice when drinking it this way. 

Come and sit down over by the fire he urged wanting to draw her attention away from Mischa. Although the drawing had drawn comments before and would continue to do so from guests he still did not really feel comfortable discussing her even if it was the version he and Clarice always used, the one where she was alive and well living in Europe.

The view from the terrace is lovely but those doors are old and get quite draughty over the winter months, let me close the drapes to help keep the heat in he insisted while she walked over to the fire that was well alight now.

She sat in a Chesterfield club style burgundy chair by the side of the hearth across from his own that matched the enormous Chesterfield sofa across from them in front of the fireplace.

It was opulent but cosy, she took note of various things in the room, the Steinway Piano by the terrace doors with a chaise lounge against the wall, the large antique Persian rug on the polished floorboards in front of the fire that her feet now sunk into, two beautiful Japanese antique vases full of seasonal flowers on a long mahogany sideboard. Were these his touches or hers, it was hard to tell.

The room as well appointed as it was, was neither masculine or feminine in its décor, she wondered now what other rooms in this grand old house were like. The master bedroom intrigued her, she hoped she would soon find out. 

One thing that was for sure though was her imagination, she pictured herself sitting here every evening with him instead of her, yes she could be very comfortable here indeed. 

Those vases Ivan, are they from travels to the east in your heyday as a roving archaeologist?

Yes I was in Japan in the early 80s he lied, I thought they looked quite interesting. They date from 1840 and the price was right so they came back west with me.

The Vases were actually from an Auction room in the city and a nod to Lady Murasaki and his youth, she always had beautiful vases like them to place her flowers in and he knew he must have them as soon as he saw them.

He had heard from his cousin Balthus, a renowned painter in France some twenty years ago that she had passed away. He was the only extended family member that had ever stayed in touch with him once he had been incarcerated and since his escape. 

He had never heard from her himself once imprisoned, she had washed her hands clean of him after that she told Balthus. 

She had despaired of him since he was a young man, he could not blame her but equally did not care either. However he still held many fond memories of her, she had been his first love and nothing she said or did afterwards would ever alter that time they spent together in his mind. 

Once a year at Christmas the Doctor still telephones Balthus and sends things of interest by post as they take his fancy, mainly art gallery brochures from various places he visits. 

Balthus was always grateful and always pleased to hear from him as well as discreet, no one in authority had ever bothered him about the Doctor, not even interviewed him after his escape. It was as though anyone and everyone had completely forgotten about the annual phone calls the two used to have while the Doctor languished in Baltimore as well as occasional correspondence and that suited them both just fine.

Catalina could not help but notice the conversation had dried up, since his comment about the vases she noticed Ivan had seemed to drift away, caught up in his own thoughts it seemed once he had sat down across from her.

She had waited to see if he would take their flirting (as she saw it) any further himself and with things going decidedly quiet and cold on that front she decided if she was going to make the move herself now seemed the optimum time. 

Ivan, I have really enjoyed your company this evening, as I do every time we see each other. I am really feeling that seeing you once a week or at the odd social occasion is not enough for me anymore, I would like to see you more and I am hoping you might feel that way too

The Doctor lost in thought about Balthus and Lady Murasaki suddenly came back to the present at first unsure if he had heard her correctly.

Well we do share a love of music Cat and yes I do enjoy your company very much, to say you enjoy my time as much is very complimentary thank you.

Well, like I said I want more, much more and I think you know exactly what I mean by that. You are alone here tonight and I have nothing to rush home for, we could be good company for one another and I don’t just mean for tonight.

The Doctor was put well and truly on the spot. He had not been expecting this. For years on the social scene amongst Baltimore’s elite he had wined, entertained and flirted sometimes outrageously to court the waiting paparazzi with the likes of supermodels Rachel DuBerry, Colleen Corby and others on his arm but never had they made the first move and hardly ever had his flirtations been the result of searching for something else afterwards.

To him it was friendly affection, flirting, folly, drinks and a riotous laugh not a prelude to sex!

Yes he had a summer fling with Rachel in 68” but that was a one off and he was single. Never with any of his other lady friends had he encountered this situation, they understood his affection was platonic like he thought she had.

She had misjudged the situation horribly and so had he and he began to inwardly squirm as to how he was going to get past this without causing her offense at this embarrassing misunderstanding.

Cat took his silence the wrong way yet again and actually believed he was considering her offer to stay. Seeing the green light glowing in her mind to access all areas where he and this house were concerned she pressed on,

I would never be snappy and embarrass you the way she did at the last party we were at, flirting openly with some strange man totally ignoring you. Everything she is I can be and more, I would never go away to a friends wedding either without including you in it.

Tell me what attracted you to her in the first place and let me show you how I can be the same, if not better she challenged.

Finally she was quiet and in this moment of offering herself she had posed a question that she wanted answering and it seemed she would not be leaving until she got her answer.

What attracted me to her….that was what she had asked thought the Doctor.

He then placed his glass down on the hearth, stood up and turned to the fireplace leaning forward resting his hands on the cold marble mantelpiece and looked deep into the roaring flames before again sitting in the armchair across from her. He tapped the tip of his index finger against the side of his nose as he wondered where to start, he then tactfully asked Catalina for a moment to process what she had just said and asked of him. To prepare his answer as well as try to think of just how he should respond without hurting her feelings.

He hated being cross examined about anything, he fiercely protected his privacy at all times but she had made her position clear so he felt he had to do the same. 

She must be left in no doubt that he was not interested tonight or ever in anything other than mutual friendship.

His mind was instantly drawn back to that fateful evening at the Chesapeake House. Late December 97, the night he murdered Paul Krendler on Clarice’s behalf whilst she sipped on a rather splendid white Burgundy he had selected for that particular course and enjoyed the view.

At first he believed he had bought her the décolleté dress for the evening because it would suit her figure. The truth was he had also bought it to reveal a good deal of her figure - not the kind of thoughts you should be harbouring for someone you thought of as a potential sister.

And as for the early desperate desires to taste her, lets not even think about the licking of her steering wheel and drawing in and holding of his breath to preserve her smell within him from inside her car at any opportunity he could get.

Clarice had unintentionally reeled him in hook, line and sinker. He had been as helpless in the end as one of the Ranchers lambs sent for the slaughter so long ago, his obsession had got the better of him and everything else no longer seemed to matter.  
She had not saved any of those Lambs, but he knew sacrificing her for Mischa could save him and that was all that mattered.

He remembered the darkness of the Hallway lit only by the candelabra on the table underneath the gaze of the wise old pier glass. The wonderful aromas filling the house of his cooking eminating from the kitchen, their glasses of lilet and orange held before them both as he had proclaimed her the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. A delicious vision that would never be more perfect in his eye as she was at that moment. 

They had watched each other for a time as the looking glass watched them, as it had watched various people’s fates play out for over 200 years.

That evening was the start of his emotional land slide, when she sashayed into the room at 7.30pm precisely and collected her drink from the table while he played the Harpsichord. 

This was when the realisation entered his head that he did indeed, despite his struggles to only see her as a sibling find her sexually attractive. 

Cupid had her own crossbow out that night and was aiming her arrows directly at him and no amount of ducking and diving throughout the evening was going to save him.

Of course he could not be truthful about this to Catalina. For now he had to tweak the tale of his first encounter with her to the rehearsed Ivan Novak one, where he supposedly met her whilst she worked as a tour guide at the Smithsonian.

Although the location he was depicting to her was different he still truthfully recounted his internal feelings, as to just why he had so easily abandoned all hope of turning her into Mischa once and for all despite the months leading up to that evening craving nothing else and preparing for nothing else really.

He had had other plans besides Clarice on arriving back in the States, to first take care of Verger and Graham then concentrate on abducting and reinventing Clarice as his sister.

Eventually though continual thoughts of her, following her in his car and observing her from a safe distance had swamped everything else. Nothing else after a time seemed to matter anymore. 

After what seemed like an age he spoke whilst she searched his face with her eyes for any kind of clues as to what he may say now that she had exposed herself. If there was any hope of them being together even if it was only for one night.

Well, he began, the first time I ever saw Kim was at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington. They do 90 minute tours and the place is so large I felt the best start as a tourist new in town was to take the tour first so I booked onto it.

Myself and a handful of others gathered in the main reception area and as soon as she came around the corner wielding her clipboard I was floored, she literally took the breath from my body at the sight of her.

She was all the things I had obsessed over for years and years, since my adolescence in Paris in the early 1950s.

My mind ran riot, like the A Bomb had just detonated right in front of me scattering every rational thought I had ever had to the winds it had created.

Pictures of movie stars from my youth filled my head all rolling into one,  
Joanne Woodward in the Long Hot Summer, Janet Leigh in Touch Of Evil, Marilyn Monroe standing on the grating as the breeze from the Subway train lifted her skirt and exposed her legs and underwear, the finesse of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffanys. 

All these images of gorgeous starlets I had seen in these films as a young man out on dates to the cinema and to the theater with various women I was acquainted with.

Anita Ekberg in La Dolce Vita, Brigette Bardot in God Created Woman, Hayley Mills in Pollyanna, Ursula Andress emerging from the waves holding Conch Shells in her hands.

Jayne Mansfield as Playboy Playmate of the Month in February 55, 

Long lost memories of pretty Parisian girls in the summer months laid out on towels on the hot concrete walkways of the Banks of the River Seine wearing nothing but bikinis as I passed by on my bicycle desperately trying to keep it in a straight line!

Every Supermodel in fashion magazines and scantily clad pin up girls I had ever seen and lusted over, 

Lilith, escaped and running free from The Garden Of Eden

Gustave Courbets painting The Origin Of The World, 

Botticellis Birth Of Venus, 

all the continuous never ending drip feed of erotica and fantasy I had ever seen and heard of over the years all came together at that moment as she walked in and I spotted her.

I knew I had to get to know her better or at least try. 

I wined and dined her and one evening after a particularly enjoyable meal she seduced me, because she did I might add. As much as I had wanted to touch her I had never laid a finger on her inappropriately I swear.

I had no idea she could even look upon someone like me and have desire for me, being so much older, but she did in time and everything I had ever felt for her from that moment of first seeing her just came together in one great big crash, bang, wallop.

She made her move on me quite unexpectedly and I was in her arms before I knew it, my mouth at her breast as she opened her top and I was lost to her and that was that………..and it always will be where she is concerned.

He had been sitting on the edge of the chair during his recollections but now slumped backwards and looked drained, staring blankly at the rug as though defeated by his own admission of how this woman had so easily and completely dominated a situation which he had initially been in control of yet when she was ready had turned the tables and claimed him as her own.

How he missed her right now, his heart ached for her. How he wished he could look up and see her standing before him.

Catalina was expecting him to give a short account of why he had initially married Kim but she was not expecting something of this magnitude. Suddenly she felt quite deflated but he had still not said he didn’t want her, there was still hope she tried to tell herself rather foolishly . 

Lilith running from the garden of Eden… that seems an odd comparison to Kim. Was Lilith not condemned for her sin to be forever Satan’s bride by God himself?

Yes she was, agreed the Doctor looking up now with surprise. I see you are familiar with Lilith, not many are with Adams first wife.

As you will know Cat, Lilith refused to be subservient to Adam as directed by God on many occasions and also took a sacred stone and fashioned it into a ring as a sign of her rebellion before fleeing.

She was headstrong, her own free spirit that would be directed by no one, not even by God himself and she was replaced by Eve.  
Lilith could also tame even the most savage of beasts into submission.

Lilith is also depicted as elegant and sure of herself, fearless, a woman of great courage and also a symbol to many modern feminist groups because of these qualities.  
These are also the qualities my Kim holds for me, something I do not see in you at all, these are qualities that I have never seen combined in any other woman at all in all of my life.

As for her being the Devils bride and able to tame beasts, well, that is most fitting in ways you could never understand Cat. He smiled now showing all of his small white teeth in a dangerous expression and an evil glint in his eyes she had never seen before.

Cat sat very still not at all sure what he meant by that statement, for a second she felt afraid due to the creepy look on his face but once again, as headstrong as Clarice herself in that respect she gave her own attempts at seduction one last shot.

All he had described in her opinion was an obsession that Kim had utilized for her own ends and financial gain. Well if she can strip and seduce him so could she, it was time Ivan Novak became obsessed with her instead.

She carefully placed her glass on the hearth just as he had done and began to undo the buttons on her blouse. The Doctor watched knowing he must stop her before she descended into a doom all of her own making, his blood was up and not in a passionate way.

As her bra became exposed and her hands continued to move working on the lower buttons of her blouse he saw himself in his minds eye gathering her up in his strong arms and……. smashing her head first into the marble fire surround before closing his hands around her scrawny neck as he lay her out on the floor. Delightfully sprawled out and at last silent like some exotic road kill on the Persian rug, a feast indeed and the only way he would ever wish to taste her.

In his mind she had been most rude. He had carefully laid out his heart as to what Clarice had meant to him, he had openly admitted to himself tonight for the first time the truth of why he had spared her and sacrificed his plan for Mischa, half of it even Clarice did not know. 

He had confided in this woman and to him it seemed she had discarded his feelings as trivial, unimportant like all he had really felt was akin to a schoolboy crush, nothing he could not find with someone else if he cared to look.

After all that she still had the audacity to believe she had a chance to defile the sanctity of their home in this way. To wish to lay like Clarice does beneath one of his favourite ever paintings by Anne Shingleton, Leda & The Swan which Clarice purchased for him for Valentines day two years ago when she spotted an excellent copy in an Auction house, a private nod to their first night together at the Chesapeake house.

It hung on the wall above their bed that they shared together watching them while they made love to each other, where they laughed and talked, made their peace after an argument, where they would fall asleep in each others arms, the safest place for him in the whole world with his darling girl.

This was his hallowed ground where he and Clarice were concerned and this woman had seriously overstepped the mark if she ever thought she was getting up there let alone in the bed with nothing on!

His hands balled into fists now with ire as he surveyed the situation once more. Everyone knew she was coming here tonight, Maria had seen her, who else had she told about tonight and her affections for him? 

To kill her would be the most satisfying outcome but what about afterwards, there would be questions. People calling wanting to speak to him as the last known person to have seen her, it would be tricky and annoying to say the least.

She was well known, it would make the papers, he would be mentioned, photographed.

With regret he realized he would have to let her go, that outcome would be for the best.

Calling up every ounce of restraint and manners he had ever been blessed with he took a deep breath and eventually spoke.

Madam, I think it is time you were leaving. I shall call you a taxi and wait with your coat in the Hallway while you dress yourself again.

With that he rose from his chair and swiftly left the room never looking behind him as he went downstairs to the telephone in the hallway to make the call for her taxi.

By now her blouse was off as well as her bra and she sat there stunned half stripped and scarlet faced at this snub not quite believing that he had infact just walked out and left her.

Angrily she gathered her clothes and eventually stood in a stony silence on the front door step with him whilst they waited for the taxi to arrive.

He could have left her standing there and gone inside but he did consider that to be discourteous. She was still a woman alone at night, plus he wanted to be sure he had seen her safely get in the car and as far away from him as humanely possible.

Soon the lights of the taxi illuminated the road and he followed her down the steps and ever the gentleman opened the cab door for her. She turned once more to him before she got into the cab and soundly slapped him across the face before wrenching the cab door out of his hands and slamming it shut behind her.

With that the taxi pulled away and the Doctor then laughed. When he considered what her fate could have been he felt sure he could give her that one slap and overlook it.

If it got rid of her once and for all then so be it he thought massaging the sting from his cheek away with his hand.

Once inside he checked the time 11.20pm, Buenos Aires was two hours ahead of Orlando, still early evening in the US he thought as he picked up his mobile and called Clarice. He would have to tell her like he told her everything and felt sure they would both be able to laugh about it, at least he hoped she would laugh about it……..


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning Clarice rose early still smiling at the events concerning Catalina. She had struggled to hide her glee when the Doctor announced with indignation she had actually struck him across the face after making a pass at him. Clarice knew he had murdered for less in the past but did quietly think it was justified, his flirting however harmless to him had bordered on the outrageous this last twelve months and Clarice could not help feel that not only had Catalina struck him last night but Karma as well.

After breakfast she took a taxi to the Airport for her 9am flight to Baltimore with Jet Blue Airlines and within two and a half hours she was landed and made her way to the ladies restroom once more putting on her long brown wig to disguise her blond hair which she scraped back under the hairnet.

She then went to a public payphone and called the number that Ardelia had placed on the Website.

Within two rings she heard Ardelia’s familiar voice on the end of the line.

Far from causing feelings of warmth at hearing her voice again it simply made Clarice more determined than ever to see her and get it over with and rather annoyed that she had to be doing this in the first place.

There were no fancy pleasantries, no hysterical reunion scene over this telephone call. Clarice was cool and straight to the point as though they had only spoken yesterday.

Ardelia, its Starling I am calling because I have seen on a website you are involved with that you are looking for me….Ardelia are you there? 

Ardelia stared into space in mild shock, she knew this voice she would know it anywhere but since the new appeal she had had so many cranks some scarily sounding like her friend on the phone which in the end had come to nothing.

She collected her thoughts and prepared her response.

If you are who you say you are and you are Clarice Starling, tell me something only you and I would know….

Clarice rolled her eyes at this folly as she pumped more change into the payphone unaware of just how many time wasters Ardelia had had to deal with in the last few months. 

Okay, well I sent you a note telling you I was alright and an engraved Emerald ring with our initials on it. When we celebrated me taking down Jame Gumb we shared a bottle of Jack in the back of the van that took us home, you bought it with you…..do I need to go on?  
Whenever we had a crisis you made your Grandmothers special tea while we talked things over.

Alright already, shit okay shouted Ardelia down the line her voice filled with relief that this was actually her. At last after all she feared Starling was alive and right here on the end of this phone, she fist pumped the air in victory that she was right and Flux was wrong, 

Oh thank god this is you Clarice she said at last.

Ardelia, what the fuck is going on with this Documentary thing, I don’t want this I want you to put a stop to it ….

The line was silent now with just the background of what sounded like an office environment 

ARDELIA can you hear me!

Yes of course I can, jesus no need to shout, I am just in shock that’s all I thought,….. I was told you see that you could be dead I have been through hell waiting for you to call, praying you would call. I want to see you and I want to see you as soon as possible. I am not at the Duplex anymore I have my own place its still in Arlington, where are you calling from.

I am in Baltimore right now but I can get to you, give me your address – you working?

I am yes I am at work but I am leaving I am going home right now and I will see you there right – Starling you will come wont you, don’t let me down man.

Once Clarice had noted her address on a small note pad she reassured Ardelia she would be there within the next hour or two at the most.  
With that Clarice checked the cash in her purse and hung up without even saying goodbye and walked to the Taxi rank outside the Terminal.

Ardelia yelled at her boss from the threshold of his office door about their being a crisis at home she needed to attend to right away and grabbed her bag and almost ran from the office and down the stairs to the staff car park. She also on the way out pressed the speed dial on her phone for Flux who sounded like he had just been woken up.

Flux, its Ardelia, get your fucking shit together and get over to my place

Whoa there, where’s the fire what’s going on?

Its Starling that’s what’s going on, she’s coming to my place in the next hour or so and I am headed there now, you want to meet her and get your answers now’s your chance.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clarice got the taxi driver to take her first to the Car Storage facility where she collected the .45 Pistol from the trunk which she loaded along with a silencer which she attached and placed in her bag with the safety catch firmly in place.

She had not been sure how she would feel seeing the Mustang again as she opened the roller door to the lock up and saw it there under its dust sheet but she looked upon it like it could have been anybody’s.

It was like the car belonged to someone else who she knew long ago but really held no relevance to her now. She may feel different when she returned later to restore the gun who knew.

Maybe it was because the taxi was waiting out front with the meter running, having to see Ardelia under duress, she did not know for sure but she felt nothing and had no urge to linger just an urge to get this last job done and make new arrangements to get home.

One hour later now in Arlington she got the taxi driver to drop her off at what had been the infamous Grocery store car park which in the last few years had had a face lift. The carpark layout had been redesigned but everything else in this area that she knew so well had changed little in the years she had been away.

Silly little people leading their silly humdrum lives she thought as she walked the four blocks to Ardelias new house on Park Street. She could not explain why but she felt angry and snappy. She did not want to be here but did need to sort this out and needed to keep an even temper to do so.

The houses on this part of Park Street were modern in appearance boxy red brick with a flat roof, they looked no more than ten years old and the sort of houses that would attract professionals being a little on the small side to appeal to families.

It was a step up from the Duplex though, this was a detached house with its own off-road parking for one car at the front with some Chrysler parked that looked pretty unremarkable and nondescript.  
The houses overlooked Arlington National Park, where people in the distance could be seen walking dogs and jogging in the pleasant June heat.

Just as she walked up to the door it was flung wide open and Ardelia came bowling out and took Clarice in a bear hug so tight and restrictive she thought she may just pass out. She stiffly reciprocated but only placed her hands on Ardelia’s shoulders.

By now she was crying and overwhelmed shouting “is it really you, I don’t believe it” as Clarice struggled to know where to look, she did not want attention drawn to her like this outside so took her arm and encouraged her inside.

In the hallway of the small house the two women stared at each other for a time. Ardelia had changed very little so Clarice thought, perhaps filled out in her figure but that was about all. The usual lines around the eyes that we all get at this age but no major changes really.

Ardelia however was completely stunned by Clarice’s transformation and took all of it in making her feel dowdy in comparison.

The dark ¾ arm summer weight jacket and maroon blouse she wore was well cut with Capri pants that matched the jacket, designer by the look of it. A bag swung from her shoulder with PRADA stamped on the clasp, and low slip on heels. 

She had accessorised with a thin gold bracelet on one wrist, a watch on the other finished off with simple small gold hoop earrings. 

No sweat pants, tank tops with no bra underneath and trainers now, those days looked long gone.

Ardelia also noticed the wedding band and diamond solataire engagement ring. She briefly wondered who had placed them there and looked forward to at last finding out once and for all. 

For someone who was now 40 Clarice had excellent skin, the sort of flawless skin achieved by expensive creams and regular facials. The complexion of someone with a stress free life and possibly the odd shot of botox.

Her hands were smooth and the nails manicured to perfection, buffed and shining with square white French tips. Her eyebrows shaped and contoured, eyelashes tinted too by the look of it. A simple lip gloss gave her lips a fine even sheen in the dim light of the hallway.

The hair that was now long sleek and glossy, a world away from her thick auburn hair that curled against her shoulders usually tied back with a hair band and bobby pins.

If her appearance was anything to go by this was not the Clarice she knew. She wanted to hold her again, touch her again to believe she was real but seeing how she stood with her arms by her side staring at her with cold untrusting eyes she thought better of it.

Come through to the kitchen then Ardelia said warmly trying to break the ice. We have so much to talk about let me put the kettle on, come on there’s someone I want you to meet.

Clarice bristled at the last comment, who the hell was here. She reached into her bag as she slowly followed Ardelia down the hallway clicking the safety off the pistol so quietly Ardelia did not even notice.

As the women entered the kitchen Clarice noticed a man sitting at a small kitchen table around their age, casual in a T Shirt, jeans and trainers. Slim build with a completely bald head which shone underneath the overheard light and designer reading glasses propped on top of his head, Ardelia did the introductions. 

Clarice, this is Flux a new friend of mine and the guy who is going to blow the lid off The Vergers and expose the rot in the FBI, the rot that lost you your job and reputation she said almost proudly. You would have read about Flux on the website right?

Flux stood up at the kitchen table, his thick folder of evidence in front of him and offered out his hand, 

Clarice Starling…very pleased and relieved to meet you, I would be honored if you would be prepared to sit and talk to me this morning as well as catch up with Ardelia of course. As you can imagine there are many questions we would both like to ask you, we really appreciate you coming forward like this.

Ardelia announced she would prepare some drinks and filled the kettle and took some mugs out of the dishwasher,  
tea or coffee then Clarice you get to choose being the guest she tried to say light heartedly.

Flux still stood with his hand outstretched which Clarice disregarded by looking away.  
Could I just have a glass of water please said Clarice forcing a tight smile and pulled out a chair across from the pair of them so she could keep them in her line of sight.

By the way Ardelia mine’s a coffee he said cheekily the pair of them exchanging a smile as he shrugged off Clarice’s frosty reception and sat back down.

Oh yes you two are very friendly thought Clarice with disgust, very friendly indeed.

There was a further uncomfortable silence as Ardelia served the glass of water with some ice for Clarice and placed two mugs of coffee down on the table for herself and Flux and sat between them at the head of the table.

Ardelia watched Clarice from the corner of her eye and could not help but notice the attitude of indifference from her. There was no joy in this reunion for her, it was a chore and it showed. That cut Ardelia to the bone and the hurt inside began to build as the uneasy silence went on and Clarice searched the small kitchen with her eyes taking in every detail.

Ardelia could hold back no longer and just as Flux cracked a joke about there being no biscuit’s in an attempt to chill things out and get conversation flowing Ardelia finally flew and stood up from her chair throwing it back with such force it nearly tipped over backwards.

Fuck the biscuits, what the hell is going on, you come here sitting there like lady muck, not a care in the world staring down your nose at us. Where the fucking hell have you been for the last eight years. 

Clarice appeared to be about to say something but Ardelia was on a roll now and paced up and down the small kitchen screaming like a wild cat.

You just disappear just like that, then after a year you decide to do what, throw me a bone like some afterthought with a note. Not even a letter a note, a scrap of paper. Then I meet this guy here and he tells me that you did not just run away from town you ran away to Mason Vergers house and got mixed up with him and possibly mister raving fucking nutcase of the century Hannibal Lecter, so kindly once and for all just tell me what the fuck has been going on and where the hell have you been!

The shouting reverberated all around the kitchen and Flux looked like he had been struck dumb, he knew Ardelia was straight stalking and fiery but had never seen her like this.

What struck him more though was not Ardelia’s outburst, which to be fair with the stress she had been under was understandable but the detached calmness of Clarice Starling who seemed to let the tirade wash over her with little to no effect on her demeanor at all.

At first Starling stared at the floor absorbing what had been said, the accusations leveled against her and how she should answer. Quietly and calmly she began with the story she had planned.

I don’t really understand what you appear to have been told Ardelia but firstly I was never at the Verger Estate. I had what could be best described as a breakdown and without thinking clearly I just took off. I sold my car, was homeless for a while but found a women’s refuge to help me and they did. They got me on my feet, a little job as well, which is why it took me a year to sort myself and out and write to you.

Flux started to speak but Clarice silenced him with a hand held up,

Please Mr…Flux, let me finish, you both want to know what happened to me and I am telling you.

The ring I sent you Ardelia is one I had for years, it was my grandmothers. One of the few things I had from my family. I simply had it cleaned and polished at a jewellers then engraved with our initials on, I sent it via different postal services because I didn’t want you to see the post mark and start searching. 

I wanted to be left alone, I still do. I have a new life and a husband now, new friends who don’t know of my past. I don’t want my previous life splashed all over the TV in this documentary you are making.

You never had no ring like that sneered Ardelia and you have not sold your car its still listed as missing, stop lying she hissed. She did not believe a word Clarice had said and did not care that she knew it.

I did always have that ring Ardelia and I did sell my car for cash, I just didn’t tell you about the ring. As for the car still listed as missing well I can’t explain that. 

There was a lot I never told you or anyone else for that matter, I was too busy trying to be what you all expected me to be not who I really was. I was an actress of sorts really and I am sorry if I have not spoken the lines you’d like to hear.

With that she folded her arms like an errant child and went silent again.

Flux stared at his folder of evidence and looked at Ardelia who was stood at the sink staring out of the kitchen window gripping the edge of the sink bowl as her anger raged within her. He could not see her expression or guage what she had just thought of that response himself but he knew what he thought.

With all due respect Ms Starling - sorry you mentioned you were married, what is your married name now by the way?

Clarice continued to stare ahead and did not answer him.

As much as I and I am sure Ardelia would like to believe your story, I have evidence here in this folder that tells us you were at the Verger barn that night and you more than likely did see what happened to Doctor Hannibal Lecter, you could tell us what happened to him and you too.

I was not there, I do not know what evidence it is you could have Clarice quietly reiterated, still staring ahead sitting perfectly still.

Your jacket was found, John Brighams gun with your prints on it was found, how do you explain that?

I can show you the photographs if you like added Flux patting the bulky folder in front of him interested now to see how she would respond now she knew there were photo’s.

All I can say is that the evidence must have been planted there. I cannot think of anything else to say on it, people were trying to frame me, cause trouble for me at that time, make out I was harassing Verger when I was absolutely not.

Oh come now said Ardelia, why would they do that after Mason was dead. Lecter took the rap for it what purpose could framing you have served then?

Now you expect us to believe they broke into our house and took your things without me noticing, do you think I am stupid?

Clarice shifted in her chair starting to find this whole thing rather tedious now and took a sip of her water to calm her own temper before continuing.

Ardelia, I really don’t know. I know you want me to know and you want me to tell you all this stuff about Mason and the Vergers and the FBI corruption but I don’t know anything okay, I suspected Paul Krendler had it in for me but I had no proof did I.

Flux could see Starling was getting edgy, he had seen similar reactions before when he was pushing people for information and knew if he carried on she might just slip up. He knew about the supposed collusion with Lecter that was part of Krendlers smear campaign, that was what lead to her suspension. He decided to needle her with it to see what it may bring forward. 

Thing is Clarice, is it okay to call you that?  
Thing is, I believe Lecter is dead, I think you were at the Barn trying to save him from Mason Verger and his henchmen. You spent enough time at the local police station that afternoon trying to convince them that Verger had him didn’t you, even calling the FBI as well for help but none came did it.  
I know all about it Clarice, my source is very thorough.

I think you took matters into your own hand’s, you were fond of Lecter everybody knew it, even Ardelia told me you were.

Ardelia smiled to herself at this, she had said no such thing but knew full well Flux was goading her and trying to draw her out so she went along with it and let him do the talking now.

I reckon you did rescue Lecter but then once loose I would say he turned on every one. I think he killed Mason like he told him he would and took out some of those people in the barn to get to him. You would have pursued to try to apprehend him and then I think he went for you and you killed him, more than likely with Brigham’s pistol.

I think you killed Hannibal Lecter that night and concealed his body in your car until you could dispose of it. What a kick in the teeth that must have been for you Clarice, you go and try to save the man you obviously have feeling’s for and he turns on you, still what did you expect from a complete psychopath. He would have killed his own mother if it meant retaining his freedom we all know what he is or was.

Although why you did all that and just didn’t call the cops is a mystery, you would have been transported from zero to hero all over again after not only catching but killing Hannibal Lecter. You would have been the nations heroine all over again. 

I am guessing you were in love with him Clarice, did having to kill him to save yourself along with all the guilt about Feliciana finally push you over the edge to this breakdown you claim you had?

Clarice had to laugh to herself, only a journalist could come up with such a fantastic load of rubbish. She recalled in her thoughts the Doctor saying he did lay her down outside under the tree’s and had to remove her jacket to suck any remaining poison out of the dart wound in her back, shame he didn’t pick it up again as well as the gun.

She ignored the question about her feelings for the Doctor, that was not relevant or his business but she did tackle one of his claims. 

If I did all that Flux, why would I have left the pistol on the barn floor and then left my jacket outside on the fire access road on a winters night?

I don’t know Clarice admitted Flux shrugging his shoulders, but I have not shown you one evidence photograph yet so how do you know that your jacket was left on the fire service road? 

I never mentioned where exactly your jacket had been found did I and you are claiming you were never even there so how would you know where it was found because you are spot on. It was left on that road just as you have described…..….so how about the truth now?

He had her on the ropes now, he could see the flicker in her eye’s that registered she had slipped up.

She felt nauseus again, the griping pain had returned and stabbed away at her abdomen in spasms, no wonder her concentration was wandering. She felt hungry despite the nausea and breakfast seemed a long time ago now, she had to shut this down and get out.

Ardelia please can you intervene in this, if our friendship meant anything like It did to me, please get him to stop this, its for the best, some things are just better left alone if you don’t believe anything else I say then please believe that Ardelia – please. Everything I said in the note was true, I know I have not come across well today and I am sorry I have upset you but please don't back me into a corner on this.

Huh she laughed, you say all that girl then sit there lying. I don’t know who you are anymore, by your own earlier admission I never did, more fool me hey.

Ardelia stood still looking out of her kitchen window. She could not even bear to look at her anymore, the statement she had made about no one ever really knowing her was just unbelievable and hurtful made more so by the fact she didn’t seem to care how hurtful it was.

Ardelia knew she was only pleading now because she had been caught out and was not getting her own way, that much was crystal clear. Trying now to use the feelings they had for each other to get her help with Flux was sickening.

Clarice stood and pulled her bag across her front with one hand, she had weighed up the situation quickly now. She had slipped up, they all knew the story she had concocted was a tissue of lies and this Documentary would go ahead regardless. In Clarice’s mind negotiations had broken down. 

Even if she told Flux and Ardelia everything he would still make it, this would expose her and the Doctor their faces all over it and they would be on the run yet again. There life and much loved home in Argentina destroyed by a story that would quickly go around the whole world. 

In her mind their life disintegrated, when they had to run again what if Hannibal was recognised, arrested? 

Her business would be over, she would be alone and he would be killed for sure this time.

Her friends faces and disgust when they knew who they really were.....

It would be all over the Internet, the Newspapers, the television, the thought was unbearable, she had to do something.

I did not come here to be branded a liar by either of you, I have told you my story and I would ask you again to please keep me out of this. I do not consent to any involvement in your Documentary.

If you want to be kept out of this Documentary you could co-operate for a start said Flux laying both hands down on the table and looking her straight in her cold blue eyes. Or you could take the legal route like Margot Verger is but I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Clarice smiled now, the fool thought he was so clever didn’t he she mused to herself momentarily as she clearly now saw the path to take.

I am not very good at holding my breath Flux but maybe where myself and Hannibal are concerned you should have tried holding yours…….

With that she produced the pistol, kicked the chair she had been sitting on over to make herself room and took the stance to shoot, arms straight and legs apart. With a controlled tap tap she blew Flux over in the chair with two shots to the chest at close range.

Ardelia had flung herself around at the sink to face them as she heard Clarice speak Lecter’s name. The last thing she heard were her own screams and the last thing she felt were her arms covering her head in terror as she saw the gun turn towards her now and she slid to the ground after a single shot straight through the heart ended her life instantly covering the sink unit and window behind her in blood.

Clarice stood impassively and surveyed the scene. She walked calmly around the table and checked Flux’s pulse just to be sure, she checked him too for a wire and visually looked over the room and underneath the table for any spyware that could have recorded the conversation being very careful to touch nothing. 

She did not check Ardelia who was slumped over in a puddle of her own blood for any wires, it would have been too messy to check her plus there was no doubt she was dead. Clarice decided any recording would have been done by him not her and the place seemed clean in that respect.

As far as Clarice was concerned it was time to go, no Flux no documentary no Ardelia no witness, job done.

She had hoped talking would do the trick she really had and turned to leave, a brief feeling of disappointment at the outcome which she quickly dismissed.

Pausing in the hallway she remembered the glass of water which would have her prints on it as well as saliva on the rim.

She walked back to the kitchen, threw the remaining water into the sink and placed the glass in her bag before taking a folded hankerchief from her jacket pocket which she used to cover the front door handle while she opened it and let herself out without leaving any prints behind her.

Once out in the fresh air the nausea began once more to pass and she walked briskly back into the centre of Arlington to a ladies restroom in a coffee shop where once inside the cubicle she pulled off the wig and hairnet and stuffed them into a sanitary waste bin beside the toilet. 

She ruffled out her hair with her fingers and stood at the washroom sink and mirror with her comb from her bag and combed her hair through until it looked tidy.

Then she walked on to a taxi rank that was fortunately still where she remembered it to be and hailed a cab to take her back to the Mustang in Baltimore where she would pack the pistol away once more before heading onto the Airport for some late lunch and two paracetamol for her stomach gripes.

She would also call at the Delta Airlines help desk too once back in Orlando and try and reschedule her flight home before taking another cab back to the Hotel and that hopefully should be that. Today had not gone as planned but these things happen she thought staring at the familiar sights of Arlington from the cab and feeling nothing. Besides she reasoned feeling a little more optimistic, with such little time left here what else could go wrong?


	11. Chapter 11

After liasing with cheery Delta Customer Services Assistant Mary and agreeing to pay the $150 administration fee for successfully rescheduling her flight back to Buenos Aires from Monday morning to the early hours of Saturday morning at short notice, Clarice was now booked in First Class on the 01.30am Saturday departure from Orlando to Ezeiza International which should hopefully see her back in Argentina just after midday local time.

This just left tomorrow to spend at the hotel to get packed and ready to leave after dinner tomorrow evening, she had decided to spend the rest of the day tomorrow at the Spa again and maybe wander out and do some shopping to pass the time.

She herself could not wait, being back in America had been meaningless. She thought at first feelings of nostalgia for her native land would have occurred but they didn’t.  
She really felt like a foreigner in a foreign land.

The wedding and seeing John Bould again had simply been the best, Arlington had been the worst. She had felt like an escaped prisoner bought to justice sitting in Ardelia’s kitchen her only desire in the end to escape whatever the cost.

That evening in her call to the Doctor she explained how things had gone with Ardelia and the reasons she felt ending their lives was the only solution.

He as usual was completely supportive and agreed that to silence them was the best way to ensure their safety and protect their new identities. He praised her for her quick thinking and decisive attitude. They left us no choice, they knew to much he reminded her and you made your position clear, they only had themselves to blame in his opinion. 

He only wished he had been there to see it he thought to himself wickedly with a smile, he loved to see her kill but unfortunately just hearing about it on this occasion would have to do.

The next morning she did see briefly on the news feed on her phone that controversial film maker “Flux” had been found murdered at a house in Arlington with another woman yet to be formally identified in what the report described as a grisly execution style scene in a private home.

A spokesperson for the Police Department said that the murder could possibly be a revenge attack from former underworld people he had exposed and had jailed in his past investigations into government corruption around the world. 

Flux had made many enemies because of his work, plenty with a grudge and police were appealing for witnesses. Good she thought, no leads to her then.

She felt she had a renewed spring in her step this morning ,she had slept well and the cramping and bloated feeling she had been having on and off again this week had gone at the moment. Once she had dressed she almost skipped down the wide red carpeted stairs of the Hotel for breakfast as the smell of freshly brewed coffee hung in the air of the vast reception lounge and other guests began to appear looking for their own breakfast and start the day.

She noticed a young couple mount the stairs on the opposite side to her as she drank in the smell of the coffee, this was the last thing she could recall before everything suddenly went black and silent.

The next thing she saw was a young mans face in a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck sitting by a low bed in a small room that looked like an office.

As she blinked to focus the man spoke, hello there I am Dr Gillespie, on call Doctor here at the Hotel, can you hear me ?

She could hear him and then the urge to sit up came and as she did she noticed one of the Receptionists also sitting in the corner looking very concerned and holding a cardboard bowl lined with a tissue that was always used for people who were at risk of vomiting.

Can you hear me, see me alright asked Dr Gillespie again helping her to sit upright and placed a pillow behind her back but kept his hand on her forearm incase she went over again.

Yes I can hear you and see you okay, what happened Clarice now said putting her hand to her face and rubbing her forehead to clear the fogginess she still felt mildly.

You fainted at the bottom of the main staircase, fortunately a young couple were close by and managed to catch you before you hit the marble floor. Claire here looked after you until we got you in here just for a little check up, the staff also informed me you had not been well the other day is that right, Colin our Concierge helped you?

Err yes that’s right, I have not been well on and off for a while now, I was in hospital the other month with severe food poisoning. I guess I have not really been right since although I do have periods where I am fine, sorry about this. I am travelling home tonight.

The Doctor asked more questions, and Clarice agreed to him taking her blood pressure which he said was on the low side but not to a point that it was dangerous but would need keeping an eye on with regular check up’s when she got back home.

The good news is that I really cannot see anything too sinister from what symptoms you have described to me however I do think with what you have told me it does point to perhaps another cause other than the repercussions of your food poisoning episode some five weeks ago now.

Claire is here as Chaperone madam, said the Doctor gesturing to the receptionist. Would you like her to stay now you are recovered or prefer her to leave as I would like to just go over another health issue before you go that you may prefer to speak about privately.

Clarice was mystified to what this could be but said she was happy for the receptionist to leave them and with relief all over her face the young girl put the cardboard bowl on the side and made a hasty exit.

Without being too blunt, could I ask when you last had a period?

Well…..i…..it was suddenly when asked Clarice realized that she last had a period at the time she was ill in hospital. It had been over four weeks now, something that never happened and she had put it down to being unwell and the taking of her contraceptives all over the place for a time. Half the time she had not even kept them down on the days she was being sick.

After facing these facts Clarice sat and stared at her knees as the Doctor carried on

The cramps you describe, feelings of bloatedness nausea and the fainting episodes would lead me as a Doctor to advise you to take a pregnancy test in the first instance as while what you describe could be to do with the Salmonella incident, missed periods are not. You sound in my experience to be in the early weeks, the cramping you describe is not uncommon as the embryo embeds into the uterus and this is something that needs ruling out before further any investigation as to what could be wrong.

As he a carried on chatting to her he advised her where the nearest Drug Store was for her to buy a test. Clarice listened as though she were in a dream, this could not be real could it, surely not.

But eventually when she had found the Drug Store and carried out the test once back in her suite it surely was right as a bright blue cross appeared in the result window, positive.

She placed the test in her suitcase and threw the box and wrapper with an annoyingly happy woman’s smiling face on the front into the bin and cried with shock. 

At 40 years old Clarice Starling was going to have a baby.


	12. Chapter 12

Doctor Lecter stood back from the small crowd in the International Arrivals waiting area as the first passengers from Clarice’s recently landed flight made there way from the baggage hall into the arrivals lounge many pushing stacked up luggage trolleys in front of them which made looking for someone more difficult than it should have been. 

Then with relief he spotted her, further to the back pulling her suitcase along by its strap. His first thought was that she did indeed look very pale considering the sunny climate she had just come from but quickly disregarded that thought as he moved forward now his arm up waving to get her attention.

Her face brightened at the sight of him and she broke into a huge smile as they found each other through the crowd and embraced tightly.

This is a lovely surprise, I thought we agreed I would get a cab?

Yes we did agreed the Doctor resignedly but I just…I have missed you and I didn’t want to wait any longer I just want you home so come on.

Before she could say anything else he had taken the luggage strap in one hand and her arm in his other and off they briskly went to the short stay carpark where the Mercedes waited.

Clarice was relieved, she felt exhausted and had spent most of the long flight going through various scenarios as to how she would tell him about the pregnancy. She had also spent most of the flight trying to come to terms with the news herself.

Since the test she had lost all of her appetite and struggled to think when she had last eaten a proper meal. The fact that she had survived the last twenty four hours on coffee was beginning to take its toll and she felt shaky and tired.

As the car left Ezeiza International and made its way back to the city it was not long before she took comfort in being in Buenos Aires again and nodded off. The next thing she was aware of was the Doctor gently shaking her arm to let her know they were home.

Come on inside he said helping her out of the vehicle, did you eat and sleep much on the plane? 

Not really, the food was very nice actually but I don’t know why I just didn’t fancy it she lied. I still don’t feel that hungry actually.

Look, he now said taking charge of the situation, you go through to the kitchen and I will make you a couple of eggs on toast and some good strong tea. I wont do anything too heavy because I will cook us dinner later. After that you can have a shower or bath and we can get you unpacked okay but you must eat something first you do look very pale.

It was only once the food was in front of her that she realised how hungry she was and focused on nothing but eating until there was not a crumb left on the  
plate. She felt much better now and the Doctor thought she did look much more like herself again which he was pleased about.

Well I shall take a shower and get unpacked then Clarice said stretching her arms above her head and placed her plate and cutlery in the sink. Perhaps later we could take a stroll out, get some fresh air I do feel so much better now.

Well we can do that provided you feel up to it he agreed closing and folding up the newspaper he had been reading while she had been eating. You do look so much better now and it’s not to bad outside weather wise, there has been some post for you this last few days, it’s on my desk in the study when you want to sort through it.

With that he carried her suitcase upstairs to the bedroom for her then headed off again downstairs to his study.

Clarice tied her hair up in a scraped back pony tail and immersed herself under the heavy jets of the power shower. It felt so good just standing there with her hands flat against the cool marble tiles as the hot water radiated over her body.

As she stood she thought of all the occasions since being home that she could have told him, should have told him. Then she thought of all the reasons she did not want to tell him his reaction being the primary one, she again felt queasy with nerves at this thought.

Would he be furious, relaxed and ready to make a plan or what?

As well as she felt she knew him, how he would react to this news was one she really could not make a call on right now and that was the worry.

Did she even want a child, no not really but then again did she feel that way because she had simply never considered it?

Questions and more questions, her head felt like it was going to burst as she now rested her forehead against the cool tiles along with her hands as the water now pounded down her shoulders and back soaking her hair in the process.

Suddenly her thoughts were intruded when the cubicle door opened and the Doctor was standing there looking concerned with a large towel over his arm.

Clarice turned off the shower and wiped her face with her hands, blinking away the excess droplets.

Its been thirty minutes now said the Doctor, I was just a bit worried you had got lost in here he laughed nervously, are you alright?

Oh, yes, yes sorry, she took the towel and wrapped it around herself and stepped out. I was just enjoying myself to be honest, relaxing, she said smiling back before staring at the floor. I guess I just lost track of time.

That’s alright then, as long as you are sure he said a little confused at her quietness before leaving the bathroom and closing the door behind him. 

She dried off and applied her creams, deoderant and a squirt of Chanel No 5 perfume to cheer herself up then rubbed the steam from the mirror with her hand in a circular motion and looked at herself as she untied her hair and combed it though with a wide toothed comb.

Tell him, go to his study and just tell him she told herself in the reflection as the steam in the air once again obscured her from the mirrors view.

That was what she needed a plan. She put on her towelling bath robe that hung behind the door and went to the bedroom to dry off her hair, she would get dressed then tell him. 

She made her way across the landing into their bedroom and was surprised to discover that he was not in his study as she thought he still would be but just stood looking out of the window waiting for her. 

When he heard her come in he turned and looked right at her, his dark eyes like hooks drawing her in rooted her to the spot.  
Neither spoke as he quietly walked towards her his eyes engaging hers all the time as he took her by her shoulders and pushed her backwards against the door which clicked shut behind her.

Before she could find her voice he was upon her. The robe fell to the floor first as he undid the loose belt and slid it off her shoulders. He then claimed her mouth with a deep and passionate kiss, one hand pressed against the door the other holding her gently in place by her chin.

Any thoughts of conversations to be had quickly vanished as she responded to him as she always did in these moments of spontaneity that they occasionally had by  
grabbing the hem of his jumper and edging it higher up his torso.

He broke their kiss momentarily to step back from her and finish pulling the jumper off over his head and tossed it with abandon behind him. Clarice moved forward now and undid the buckle on his belt and the zipper on his trousers and watched as they fell to the floor in a heap around his ankles next to her robe.

She looked again deep into his eyes and spoke slowly and seductively, Toccami, mette le tue mani su di me (touch me, put your hands on me).

He quickly discarded his underwear in the same carefree fashion before scoping her up in his arms and walked to their bed with her as though she were weightless, all the time never breaking that mesmerising eye contact with her which she loved.

He was straight on top of her once he had laid her down and the feverous kissing continued so full of depth and longing. His kisses soon trailed down her chin to either side of her neck and in response to the rapture she felt she wrapped her legs tightly around his hips and drove her hands repeatedly through his hair gently saying his name over and over, both their eyes closed in pleasure as Leda & her Swan kept a watchful eye from above.

All of a sudden the Doctors Iron resolve and patience departed him. He had missed her this week more than he had ever thought possible. He had been angry and disappointed this week with Catalina’s behaviour, the feelings of anger at not being able to finish Will Graham himself as he had planned, the worry about her health. 

Everything that had gone on this week in this passionate moment had come to a head for him now as he simply abandoned all further plans for foreplay as he raised himself above her now and plunged himself into her there and then and had her on the spot. 

It was fast furious and gloriously terrifying, he was rough and bold, she was passionate in response and as demanding as him. Both of them out crying each other at times before the inevitable happened and they both came crashing down to reality again as they climaxed and finally with much heavy breathing their movements against each other stopped.

The Doctor simply lay on top of her but lower now. His head resting on her chest, eyes closed in content exhaustion listening to her heartbeat and the steady rhythm of her breathing as she gently now held him to her.

Lovemaking like this had been commonplace in the first year or so, often two, three times a day depending on what they were doing but as with any longer term relationship things had mellowed and love making these days was generally slower and calmer, the urgency gone but the desire still strong.

Clarice was musing on this as she lay there wondering just where this event had sprung from. She had enjoyed it and in a way she had missed this type of lovemaking even if there muscles did both ache for a good day afterward.

She mischievously considered that if this was the result of her being away for a few days, as much as she had missed him maybe she should go away on her own more often.

She began to laugh quietly then like someone persistently knocking at a distant door the thought returned that she had to tell him about the pregnancy.

Was it hormones she could not really tell but without warning silent tears fell gradually becoming louder as she released her hold on him to wipe her face with her hands.

The Doctor was most alarmed by this and caught out. He did not understand this at all and quickly rose up and took her into his arms where she broke in to sobs against his chest.

He rocked her and soothed her in his arms so tight around her which she held onto for dear life.

He coaxed her tell him what was wrong without wanting to sound worried himself, he had last heard her like this at the Chesapeake House as she sat with her Father. Nothing since had upset her in such a way.

Anything that is wrong cannot be this bad, there is nothing you cant tell me you know that, we will work this out together like we always do he whispered in her ear.

How Clarice wished that were true, she knew it was time to confess.

I…I was ill again at the Hotel on Friday and the on call Doctor there saw me she blurted out.

Once she had started to unburden herself it was like a flood gate had opened and she could not stop.

I told him my symptoms, I had fainted in reception properly this time you see and well he thought I could be pregnant and advised me to buy a test which I did and I am…..i’m pregnant she howled into his chest, fresh tears running down her face.

The Doctor not one usually to be lost for words felt like he had just been hit by lightening as he tried to take in what she had just said.

Quietly he unpicked himself from her arms and stood up from the bed. He methodically picked up his clothes from the bedroom floor and quickly dressed while Clarice stared at him from the bed.

She drew the sheets up with her knees to her chin as she sat up trying to search for some clue as to how he was feeling.

Once dressed he never looked back at her just said in a quiet cold tone,

I am going for a drive – don’t ask me when I will be back because I don’t know, with that he made for the bedroom door.

Go for a drive! Clarice said in hurt amazement, darling we need to talk, please I cant bear this on my own any longer.

And we will talk, he said still not looking at her and still as cold in attitude as he walked through the door and closed it behind him.

Clarice was stunned, never when she had been upset over anything had he left her he always stayed with her, he had to come back he could not just go, not like that.  
Anger at his abandonment surged through her now, she would not have it. How dare he and up and after him she went totally naked dragging the bed sheet behind her.

He was already at the top of last flight of stairs down to the hallway when she screamed his name from the top of the second floor landing. She could see him by now descending the stairs and making his way to the cloakroom for his coat. She continued to cry and scream his name as she rushed down the second flight of stairs, the sheet flailing behind her in her hand.

He heard her, most of the Avenue Alvear must have heard her, a fleeting memory came to him of Mischa desperately screaming his name like that so long ago.

He did not know what to feel so he carried on, he never looked back just made his way to the front door once he had his coat and wallet and locked it behind him as she cleared the last flight of stairs and crashed into a heap defeated in her attempt to stop him on the hallway floor screaming and sobbing for him to come back as he walked down the marble front steps away from the house.

The next thing she heard was the roar of the Mercedes as the engine started and the car drove away leaving her alone with her despair.


	13. Chapter 13

The Doctor drove and drove for hours until the fuel light flashed on the dash indicating that he had better think about pulling in at a Service Station and getting the car filled up before he found himself stranded on the hard shoulder of the National Route he was on.

He had left Buenos Aires some three hours ago and was heading south west towards the Patagonia region, why he could not say he just picked a road at random and drove down it still as shocked as he was when he had left the house this afternoon.

After filling the tank up to the brim with fuel he parked up and walked to the Services Café and ordered a large black Americano and selected some plain fresh bread rolls and small packets of butter which he ate at a table as far away from anyone else as he possibly could.

He had noticed the usual hot buffet, a polite term for what was on offer under the red hot heat lamps. Cremated sausages, wilted grilled tomatoes and sloppy baked beans which sickened him on sight and he left well alone. He was as happy as he could be with the Bread Rolls which appeared to be of a reasonable standard and were better than nothing.

After he had eaten his meagre meal and still not really thinking anything apart from how careless and stupid Clarice had been with her contraception or lack of it he gathered his coat and keys and made his way back to the car where he continued his journey south as night began to fall.

After another two and a half hours he found himself in a place on the coast called Bahia Blanca, his eyes were growing tired now so he quickly found himself a tidy looking four star Hotel close to the centre of town with parking and checked in initially for one night.

The room itself was minimalist in a simple way. Clean and functional, double bed, trouser press against the wall, mini fridge and wall mounted tv, dour magnolia walls with atrocious modern art prints hung here and there in chunky dark frames.

There was also a vase with nothing in it and a complimentary note pad and pen on a small table with a chair.

There was also a piece of A4 paper taped to the back of the door with the Hotel’s rules of conduct for guests and advice to make your stay more pleasant which out of boredom the Doctor read aloud:

One piece of advice was to “take advantage of the Chambermaid” no thanks he thought dryly he was in enough trouble with his wife already.

Another request and grammatical error too “Please leave your values at the front desk”

“Because of the impropriety of entertaining guests of the opposite sex in this bedroom, it is suggested that the reception area be used for this purpose”

Well that should provide some entertainment if nothing else he mused.

And lastly and most cryptic, “Please bathe inside the tub” 

The bathroom to call it a better name again was clean but so small you would need to step outside to change your mind about something. It would do, that’s all could be said about it.

He shook off his coat and shoes and lay for a time on the bed staring at the ceiling. It was then that thoughts of the days events were allowed to come in and be made available for his consideration.

And he certainly thought all sorts, 

Yes this was do able, they could parent a child, who couldn’t it wasn’t rocket science was it?

There would be disruption to their lives sure enough but that’s what nannies were for wasn’t it?

They could terminate the pregnancy. Such practice was banned in Argentina but she could fly to Brazil and have the procedure done in a morning.

Would she want that? What did she want from all of this?

Did he want to be a Father at 65 years old?

Then thoughts of crying and tantrums filled his head that inevitably came with the arrival of a young child. The very sounds that made his stomach turn as he again thought of Mischa’s screams.

He sat bolt upright thinking he may be sick but the feeling passed. He now began to think there was only one way for them to move forward together and that was to be rid of it.

But what if she wanted it, he had never seen or heard her so overwrought did that mean she did want it or not? 

What if when he declared he did not want it she disagreed, what then?

Suddenly the Monster in him thought that with a simple dose of Rohypnol or some other sedative in her drink she would be out for hours if he could source it, he could do it himself and feign shock at a miscarriage when she woke he thought deviously.

Just as that thought began to implant itself he suddenly felt disgusted at himself for harbouring such a notion and sat with his head in his hands for lack of knowledge about what to do.

He knew he was many things and while he agreed fully with a woman’s right to have choice he knew in his heart he had no right to do such a thing. To take that choice away from her, he could not do it, not to the love of his life or he thought…his child with a shudder.

He also understood his fear once the child was born of anything happening to it. What if something did, he knew he would never bear it, not again, the loss would be too great.

Now that he had had time to think he considered turning on his phone and calling Clarice just as music from the room next door erupted and sounds of people having a party of sorts were heard. 

This would not do he cursed aloud, there was no point trying to think here right now so wearily he collected his coat and shoes and headed back to the car.

He had not noticed it before but just off the Hotel reception was a small shop like a newsagents, they also sold flowers which the store assistant was clearing from the outside of the shop as she prepared to close for the night.

He picked up a large bunch of spray Carnations and multicoloured Roses with lovely dark green leaves to bulk it out. They stood on the floor wrapped in a tied bag which held their own supply of water and he bought them to cheer up the room for tonight. 

He would keep them wrapped and take them home tomorrow as part of his peace offering to Clarice who would probably be waiting for him once composed again with her .45 at the ready as revenge for him walking out on her.

He placed the flowers for now in the passenger footwell of the car and pulled out onto the main road.

It was still early, around 9pm. If that party next door was still going on when he got back then he would complain at reception. In the meantime he followed signs for the harbour area of town and according to one sign an area of outstanding natural beauty which appealed and he followed the signage for this beauty spot up the coastal road and out of town into the night.

As he drove the long and winding coastal road he passed many places where cars could pull in and admire the stunning view out towards the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean beneath them, its was spectacular on this cool but very clear moonlit night.

At first as he drove he believed himself to be the only one out, the pull in places were empty and he saw a sign ahead which indicated he would be arriving at a small viewpoint carpark just around the next bend where the road would terminate.

As he pulled into the small moonlit gravel carpark he noticed a flat bed pick up truck in the corner about three parking spaces away which appeared to be empty.

Where the occupants had gone was a mystery as below them was a sheer drop, the only way out was the way he had come in and he had seen no one walking on the narrow road.

He parked rubbing his fatigued eyes and stared out to the expanse of the sea then selected Scarlatti’s sonata in E Major on the piano and turned the cars stereo up enough to be pleasant but also loud enough to drown out his thoughts just for a little while as he rested his eyes and let the music wash over him tapping his fingers on the steering wheel to the music.

When the piece had finished he would ring Clarice and make his peace with her, tell her he had not known what to do, that he would support her with whatever she chose to do. What he did was cowardly and in hindsight he wished he had handled the situation better. 

To simply blame her was unacceptable. When people were sick and missed doses of tablets oral contraception was known to be unreliable, he too should have been more careful.

All of a sudden about halfway through the tune he was disturbed by a loud thumping on the drivers door window which made him jump and reach into his coat pocket for his Harpy out of habit.

He stared with surprise at a man who stood glaring at him through the window who was shouting and indicating by rudely pointing that the Doctor turn the stereo down.

After turning the music down with his hand on the Harpy in his pocket he got out of the car to face the man who was now walking back to the pick up truck.

Looking ahead of him the Doctor saw the drivers door of the pick up was ajar which made the interior light of the cab come on and illuminated a half dressed young woman in the cab laughing as her beau went back to her.

They had been there all along laid out on the long bench seat together in a lovers tryst in the darkness of the vehicle which is why the Doctor had not at first noticed them.

Still smarting from the man’s rudeness the Doctor now called after him,

I say Sir, were you trying to indicate you had a problem with my choice of music?

With that the man turned back, a scruffy greasy looking individual who looked in his 30s with at least three days stubble on his face and sleeves of tattooed naked women up each arm which the Doctor could clearly see as he approached him again.

He came swaggering right up in front of the Doctor but the Doctor remained very still and stood his ground, his expression giving nothing away. The tirade of abuse from the man began shortly after.

What I was saying, Grandpa was that you may want to listen to that shit but the rest of us don’t, so do yourself a favour yeah and keep it down. Infact just get in your fancy pimp machine there and fuck off. 

Unmoved and expressionless the Doctor stood seemingly unfazed by the verbal assault much to the mans further annoyance.

If I have to speak to you again Grandpa I will be doing so with this next time he said now waving a small handgun in the Doctors face before placing it back in his jeans pocket, got that - comprende hey Grandpa?

Without taking his eyes off him he heard the woman laugh as the man turned away to walk back to the truck.

Within seconds the Doctor produced the Harpy and charged at him from behind sinking the blade deep into the centre of his back with three robust rapid thrusts one after the other.

He fell quickly to the ground, coughing up blood and clutching his throat as he began to drown in his own blood and quickly lost consciousness from the profuse bleeding from his chest wounds that seeped down his back.

The Monster stood over him now watching him writhe. It always fascinated him how blood looked in the moonlight, like a black velvet cloak. No matter how many times he had seen it in the past he still liked to watch it and was for a few seconds mesmerised as the brightness from the full moon above bathed the scene in its eerie light.

Suddenly The Monster came back to the present and became aware of screams from the cab. The woman had grabbed her Tee Shirt and was pulling it over her head whilst exiting the vehicle near hysterical now at the carnage in front of her. Seeing The Monsters gaze in the moonlight fall upon her she snaked along the rock wall of the clifftop carpark as though it may hide her in some way. 

She held out pleading hands in front of her physically urging him to stay back, trying to fumble her way along the wall moving like a crab to the exit which would take her past The Monster and back out onto the road into town without daring to take her eyes off him.

Tut tut tut now where do you think you are going he thought with mild amusement as he reached down to the mans jeans pocket and produced the small pistol which was loaded with the safety catch on. He then watched her a little longer slithering along the rocky wall trying to escape with her loud panic stricken gasps for breath carrying on the gentle breeze and drank in her fear and suffering with great satisfaction.

As he stood and faced her, her screams grew louder when she saw the gun and she now ran headlong to the exit driven on with blind terror.

As the woman screamed louder he recalled the sounds of Clarice screaming, then Mischa screaming as she was dragged from the barn. All of there screams blended into one as he took the safety catch off and raised the pistol with both hands and shot the woman at point blank range once between her shoulder blades, the sound of the shot ringing out into the sky.

She was instantly silenced and fell to the gravel floor face first with a graceful soft thud.

Normally he would have picked them up and placed them in the flat bed section of the truck or displayed them in the front of the cab but he really had come out unprepared and did not want to soil his clothes and arouse suspicion once back at the Hotel so he had to make do simply dragging the woman by her ankles and laid her next to her beau on the ground straightening her hair around her shoulders as he did so.

Just for whimsy and because he always took something when he could the Monster opened the mans mouth and removed his foul mouthed tongue which he placed on the ground beside him. Next he placed the mans hand on the woman’s arm, folding his fingers carefully around her forearm to appear as though he was pulling her.

He looked again at the severed tongue, washed thoroughly and finely sliced it would make a lovely tatar. He would even get some pickled Gherkins and Olives from the hotel bar along with a nice glass of Claret if they stocked such wine which would compliment it beautifully.

He then went to the car and retrieved the flowers he had bought for the room. He pulled out a single pink rose with its long thorny stem and carefully inserted it into the woman’s throat fully until just the head of the rose and green leaves were sticking out of her open mouth.

He then carefully cut away her Tee Shirt and bra cup to reveal her left breast which was his traditional calling card when he was indulging his alter ego il Mostro. The generous plump breast stood out pale in colour the scarlet nipple peaked in the cold moonlight, above it a small seepage of blood from the exit wound of the bullet but nothing that spoiled the display.

He stood awhile tapping his finger on the side of his nose observing the tableau before making a final alteration.

He turned the mans head toward her as she gazed lifelessly into the sky. It was now a perfect copy of Primavera, Zephyrus taking Chloris by her arm and pulling her to the underworld in the forest, her mouth stuffed with flowers as she was depicted in Botticelli’s famous painting.

As he had done so many times before as whimsy took him long ago in Tuscany…….

He undid the rest of the packaging around the flowers still not taking a care about who may turn up here any minute and carefully strew the rest of the carnations and roses over the couple. With one final flourish he tossed the final rose across the mans chest.

After admiring his work for far longer than he should he placed the tongue in the packaging that the flowers had come in and walked to the cliff edge where he threw the pistol into the sea below.

He then pulled his leather driving gloves off so they were inside out and placed them in his coat pocket.

With Scarletti once again playing, fingertips drumming the steering wheel to the rhythm he reversed out of the parking space and took one final look at his display. It pained him to leave them as he would have liked to stay a while longer but knew he was pushing his luck as it was in such a public place so he sated himself by taking a picture on his phone to keep of the scene and then he drove back to the hotel. His snack of fresh tongue neatly wrapped in florists paper on the seat beside him.

It had been nice and satisfying to be il Mostro again, if only for a little while.


	14. Chapter 14

December 2006 Rosedal Park Buenos Aires

Clarice jogged with the masses as she always did around the large ornamental lake her headphones on connected to her mobile lost in her music as the late afternoon sun beat down on her back now as she rounded the lake towards the Italian style bridge and pedal boat hire lodge with the open air café and its pretty red umbrella covered tables attached to the side.

As she jogged towards the café she smiled as she saw Dr Lecter sat at a table in a short sleeved shirt and slacks complete with tinted prescription sunglasses. He had a cappuccino in front of him and a tall glass of sparkling mineral water with lime and ice waiting for her whilst reading Marcus Aurelius in one hand and rocking a double pushchair to and fro with the other.

Inside the double pushchair were the twins. A small and dainty girl called Simonetta after the Doctor’s mother due to her strong resemblance to her and Dante, an equally small little boy that looked just like Clarice. 

At eleven months old they sat chewing on teething toys content for now also looking at the toy mobile’s that were clipped onto either side of the pushchair to keep them occupied.

Simonetta had dark eyes and black hair along with her paternal grandmothers olive skin where as Dante was blond, fair skinned and blue eyed with his Mother’s level prarie gaze.

Afternoons until 6pm were spent with their parents and the rest of the time with their wet nurse Francesca who lived in and her help throughout the day a young girl called Eva who stayed from 6am when they tended to wake until their bedtime. 

The only day the children spent totally with the Doctor and Clarice was Sunday when the Nurse and assistant were given a day off. This was the way the Doctor had been raised and Clarice quickly adapted to this way of raising the children as it retained their time for each other as well as allowed her to continue working full time at her Photography business which was building well.

On returning to the house after his break as he referred to it, things had been calmer than expected on his return and in hindsight the time apart had helped them both decide what they wanted in the longer term.

All Clarice had ever really wanted was to know she was not alone, that he would support her and all he wanted to be assured of was that life would stay the same. He was not a hands on parent prepared to be there 24/7 but prepared to negotiate parenthood with the correct support of staff who could ensure his daily routine and what he expected from Clarice in the way of her time and attention from her in the role as his wife would not be impacted up on.  
The welfare and safety of the children was never far from his mind though, the fear of something happening to them real and at times overwhelming but again with Clarice’s help he was managing to deal with it one day at a time.

So far it was working well, in the last eighteen months there had only been one unexpected shock and that was when they were told at the 12 week scan they had two for the price of one but apart from that the pregnancy itself had been a breeze after the first trimester of sickness had passed. 

It all came to a swift and orderly conclusion at 36 weeks on the 20th of January just days after the Doctors own birthday when Clarice was induced as planned and within 12 hours the babies were naturally born after three canisters of gas & air were used up, a shot of Pethadine to help with the pain and a good deal of cursing from Clarice in between contractions at a private maternity hospital on the outskirts of the city. 

The children are happy, healthy and they are surrounded by love. Doctor Lecter and Clarice Starling are equally still as happy and in love and enriched by the family they have rather unexpectedly and unintentionally created together. Both as unsure as they were at first about being parents they could not imagine life without them now, they filled the old house on Avenue Alvear with joy and noise and unconditional love.

And here for now in this happy time is where we shall leave them all, but hopefully it will not be too long before we call on them again.


End file.
